Thicker than Steel
by Jaime1992
Summary: Redone. He was always seemed so cold, cruel, callous, but he reluctantly took a chance on her. Though, she soon realized that behind his steel exterior, there is something much more.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I originally wrote a couple chapters for this story but I didn't like what I had produced (plus no one was really getting into it) so I decided to redo it completely. I'm keeping the name of the characters to the anime version since that's what I've seen. If any of the information is wrong or if any of the grammar is incorrect, please let me know so I can fix it.

This story takes place before Eren is introduced to the Regiment.

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Chapter 1

Elyse couldn't believe the luck that she was having today. It was as if the Titans had attacked again and was about to eat her. Though, she didn't know what was worse, being eaten by a Titan or being in the custody of the Military Police. Sitting alone in the waiting cell, the memory of earlier that day flooded back to her. It started as a normal enough day anyway.

The sun was shining brightly through the window, beckoning for the person in the bed to awake from their slumber. Unawake from the light that filled the room, there was a knock at the door. "Elyse, sweetheart, it's your mother. Are you awake?" From the disturbance of the peaceful silence, there was rustling from the bed. The door to the bedroom opened, a blonde woman with blue eyes peaked inside. She looked regal enough, wearing a pale peach dress and having her hair pulled back into a bun.

The woman's eyes lingered on the person in the bed for a moment before walking over to wake her. "Wake up, you silly girl. You can't sleep in all day today. You need to help me run the shop." There was a groan and blankets tossed viciously from the bed.

A younger woman with matching features of the older woman lied there, staring at her mother with contempt, though not very seriously. Her azure eyes narrowed groggily at the sight of sunlight. "Mom, come on…" She trailed off when she noticed the look her mother was giving her. She was about to say something when her mother turned to leave. Her voice cut her daughter off.

"No sass this morning, Elyse. Get yourself ready and meet me at the shop. We have a very busy day ahead of us." With that, the door to Elyse's room shut, leaving her alone to get ready. Elyse sighed and sat up in bed, rubbing her messy blonde hair. She could almost glare at the sun, wishing it could have given her a couple more hours. She was having a good dream too, though she couldn't quite remember what it was about.

After an hour from the day, Elyse was finally ready. With her hair into a side braid, dressed in a gentle pink button up shirt that hung loosely on her, and dark blue jeans, she set off for her mother's shop. She walked slowly, feeling a bit uneasy with all the soldiers around town. Noticing the different emblems, there were definitely more soldiers here than usual and to top it off, the Military Police were everywhere. They were slack as usual, but standing in groups rather than just walking around with their fancy rifles. Elyse hated the Police. She knew how corrupt the system was and it started from the food shortages that happened five years ago when the Titans attacked Wall Maria. Knowing that many people were starving, the Police stuffed their faces, and never once liked to help with the charity.

Knowing she probably would look suspicious with her angry stare; Elyse just kept to her own business, and ignored them. She didn't want any trouble today, especially not with the extra soldiers hanging around. From the chatter, Elyse eavesdropped, and found the supposed purpose for the extra staff today. They were expecting a Commander from another sector of the Military and the rumored strongest soldier. Elyse's pace quickened, she didn't want to get in the way of any soldier, Commander, the strongest soldier, and what not.

Knowing her mother's shop was right around the corner, she wanted to make a quick pit stop before getting into work. Instead walking down the street, she turned, taking a narrow alley that lead to another part of the district. Not many people knew about the shortcuts around Wall Sina. Taking the main roads was ideal; it was expected from normal people who had business with the business district or the main center of the city. However, the narrow alleyways were all interconnected, leading to each individual district much quicker than taking the main routes.

Eventually, Elyse was close to one of the poorer districts in town when stopped in her tracks. Military Police were down here too, messing with a kid, Elyse's favorite kid friend to be exact. Hiding by the corner one of the alleys, Elyse watched carefully from the scene in front of her. It was just two officers who just picking on a little boy with dark brown hair. The echoes of the neighborhood bounced off the walls, everyone who was in the vicinity could hear the conversation.

"What are you going to do, huh? You're a little punk kid who probably stole this." One soldier said, referring to the younger boy's loaf of bread. Anyone could tell that it wasn't fresh, and that the young boy didn't steal it. Elyse knew that much. Before anyone could react, the soldier took the boy's bread, and threw it to the ground. With the heel of his boots, he stomped it out, resulting in being squished and dirtied beyond belief. The other soldier laughed, waiting for the boy's retaliation, and eventually looked at the other group of kids who were watching.

"Come one, you little shits. Attack us. Get your revenge for this little sport here." A hand ruffled the boy's hair, causing him to flinch, and back away. This caused the soldiers to get a little angry. "What? You all are to chicken shit to do anything now? Fucking figures. Let's go." With a turn on their heels, the soldiers walked away, laughter echoing the quiet street. The brown haired boy tried hard not to cry, biting his lip, and wiping his nose with his sleeve. Though it was cruel, that's the treatment of the poorer side of Sina gets from the soldiers. Though majority of the kids who wonder around down here are punks, the little boy with the brown hair wasn't one.

Coming out from her hiding spot, Elyse walked over to the boy, glancing at his stomped out bread. At the sight of her, the boy couldn't keep his tears in, and started to cry. "Miss Elyse, I'm so sorry…the bread you gave me…" He choked through his sobs. Elyse fixed his ruffled hair.

"It's okay Brian. It's no biggie." She knelt down to him and gave him a smile. "I can get you more." Brian's eyes snapped open, tears still within them.

"No, Miss Elyse! You can't steal anymore bread for me!" Brian's voice dropped down low so no one could hear. "Your skills are the best, but the Police are being complete assholes today!"

Elyse shot him a look. "You mean jerks, right?"

Brian shuffled, knowing what he said wasn't appropriate for someone his age. He nodded in reply, but continued anyways. "Please, Elyse…it's okay, I wasn't hungry anyway…" He trailed off, his eyes lingering on the smashed bread on the ground. From the survival look on his face, she knew that he would probably eat it once she left his sight. His family was a special case, one of the few in this luxurious city who were drop-dead type of poor. Brian's father was murdered by one of the Titans when Wall Maria fell, and his mother worked hard just make ends meet. But lately there was a raise in taxes and Brian's family suffered greatly. Unable to make enough to afford food, Brian used up his share to make sure his sister could eat. It was a horrible cycle and Elyse hated it more.

Her family wasn't the richest family, but they were well off. When Elyse was younger, she had met Brian, and immediately clung to him. He was so spunky, fun, and just downright playful even though he had survived the monstrous Titans. Despite his attitude, Brian was Elyse's escape from her mundane activities and so when his life started to falter, so did hers. It was gradually at first, but Elyse wasn't really like other kids in her social class. Even as a kid she was messy, and enjoyed running around the city than studying books. Especially when she grew up, Elyse wondered if there was more to life than what her parents' wanted from her. More than dressing fancy and impressing other people.

Though, Brian's life changed hers. Knowing that Brian was hungry and that her mother wouldn't be impressed with the fact that she wanted to help a poorer boy, having spare money was out of the question. So, Elyse did the unthinkable for someone of her class. In the light of day, she had stolen a loaf of bread from the baker, and gotten away with it. Though she committed a crime, she didn't feel guilty. Elyse's family knew the baker on a personal level, and he had admitted that he tosses the unsold bread every night. And there was always bread left over from the day.

"So no harm done, right?" Elyse had told Brian the day she had took it from the baker. She didn't stop there. She did it every day and even honed in on her skills as she started pick-pocketing money, and other things. She also practiced on her speed and agility, just in case she was caught. She would be seen flying through the city, and disappearing through the alleyways. Though her training was mostly endurance, she also tested her limits, climbed walls, and jumped over fences. She felt that she always had to be prepared in case the worse happened.

As she continued with the crimes, she never once felt guilty towards the richer people. The money and the food wasn't going to her, they were going to Brian and his family, just so they could survive one more night. To see Brian happy was enough for her. Though, she had to admit that she was worried that Brian was going to take upon himself one day to steal from the baker and get caught. Throughout the years though, he never did.

But something had changed in Brian today. Usually he wanted to see her in action, knowing that she was stealthy and had never been caught yet, but today he was begging her not to. The options of too many soldiers did play a difficult role in getting Brian some bread. Elyse had eventually smiled at him and said, "Don't worry. I have money with me today. I'll buy your bread this time." She winked at him kindly, but before they could leave, she spoke to him softly. "I'm tired off all of the Military Police always bullying you kids. Those taxes that we all pay go to the damn police and you know what they do with them?" Brian's eyes looked up to her, awaiting her answer. She almost told him the truth, which was that they wasted it on liquor, prostitutes, gambling, and whatever fancy food that they eat. She couldn't tell a young boy about those things.

She twisted it, just a little. "They spend it on whatever they want while they know people are starving. Brian, I want you to wait right here while I buy your bread, okay?" Brian almost looked puzzled. He wasn't sure why she wanted him to hide if she was just going to buy it naturally. Though, he listened and stayed behind as she made her way to the business district. Just to be safe, she wanted him to stay behind in case those soldiers recognized him. As she felt before, she didn't want any trouble.

As she walked back over to the business district, there was a pain her stomach from the soldiers that were looming around the districts. Though she wasn't going to commit her usual crime, she couldn't help but to feel uneasy. As she strode to the baker's food stand, she knew her mother would be steaming at this point. She was way over an hour late and would feel her wrath when she would finally get to the store. Clenching her money bag in her hand, for the first time in a long time she didn't care. She was a grown woman who lived a double life, a cross between a thief and a dress shop manager. The mix just tasted badly in her mouth and deep down, she wasn't either of those things. Elyse just picked because she had to, to give other people what they wanted. For Brian, she didn't mind but when it came down to helping her mother, she wanted to vomit. They weren't rich and would probably never be. Her mother was so insistent that Elyse acted more like a lady so someone would want to marry her. Her mother was always so intent about Elyse finding a nice, rich boy who would give her the time of day.

The baker's voice pulled her out of her gloomy mindset. She quickly ordered a loaf of bread and one of the softest, yet firmest pieces of bread for her. It wasn't quite flavored, but seasoned with some type of grain that she liked. Just as she paid, her thoughts continued to echo, clawing at her for attention. Elyse frowned, eyeing her reflection from the bakery's windows. Elyse was attractive enough to marry, but knew it wouldn't make her happy. And for the first time, she felt like a caged bird trying to get free.

Just as she was about to return to Brian, when her eye caught sight of the two Military Police soldiers who were messing with her friend. They were saluting, talking to two other men from a different brigade. Seeing how the two were talking casually, laughing with the other soldiers made something inside her boil, and snap. And before she knew it, she did the unthinkable.

"Marty, look!" Marty was hit in the stomach by his friend, Simon. They were both in the Military Police together, and though they enjoyed their lax day-to-day routine, they couldn't continue such slacking behavior with the Commander from the most notorious sector roaming around. There were rumors about the Commander coming to Sina to speak with the other officials about expeditions. The meeting must have been over since the Commander had been seen in the business district. Marty and Simon were sitting on one of the bench, whistling at passerby females when the Commander was spotted. Simon, who was sitting by Marty and seen the guy first, slapping his friend's stomach for attention.

Commander Erwin Smith was walking around, talking with another individual from his army. He was on the shorter side, but the look on his face demanded that he not be taken lightly. The two soldiers didn't recognize the shorter, dark haired man, and didn't bother with introductions. In hopes of some sort of promotion for their sudden diligence and hospitality, Marty and Simon stood up straight and saluted Erwin.

"Good day, sir!"

"Lovely weather we are having here today, sir!"

The shorter soldier immediately looked annoyed, but the Commander only smiled. "At ease, and yes. Lovely weather, indeed." Erwin continued to walk, eyeing the other shops when Marty and Simon marched in front of him.

"Sir, I hope your stay in Sina was very pleasant?"

"Yes, hope the meeting went very well too, sir."

Though they were clearly being overbearing and rudely bothersome, Erwin continued to indulge them. "Of course. The meeting was very successful. Now if you'll excuse me-" Clearly, the soldiers didn't want to leave unless they knew their efforts wouldn't be wasted. However, Simon knew that Marty might have stepped over the line a bit. Marty interrupted Erwin.

"So any progress with pushing back the Titans from Wall Maria? Heard that attack was god awful nasty. From all the expeditions your Regiment goes on, you'd think that we'd regain back the Wall." Marty stated smugly, laughing in reply to his comment. Though he probably didn't mean for it sound so rude, he offended the other man by Erwin. He didn't have time to think when his shirt was ruffled dangerously by his neck. The shorter soldier by Erwin had Marty by the neck of his shirt. The man spoke low, so other soldiers couldn't hear what he was going to say.

Erwin raised his hand, trying to calm his soldier. "Levi…" It rolled off as sigh, though he didn't stop him by any means.

Something gold flashed in Levi's perception but ignored it, "Listen you, stupid, poor excuse for a soldier. The Survey Corps-"_Thuck._ The grip on Marty's shirt loosened as a round, thick shaped bread dropped onto the street. Levi just stared at it as Marty whirled around, flustered.

"Who fucking threw that?!" He exclaimed, ignoring the conversation with Erwin and Levi altogether.

Elyse's hands were shaking. There was no way she just threw something at the Military Police. She could steal from people and do it right under the Police's noses but to directly aim for a confrontation? Elyse surely had lost her mind.

"Who fucking threw that?!" A loud, obnoxious voice from one of the soldiers filled the street. Faces looked around, curious to who would be so stupid. The baker had looked at Elyse, startled by the sudden commotion. His chubby fingers lifted, pointing in her direction. "She did it! I saw her!"

Her heart stopped and hands grew sweaty. Boots came stomping over in her direction, ordering her to stay right there. Elyse felt something in her hands, something soft, and warm. The loaf of bread she bought for Brian was still in her hands. They were going to arrest her for assault on a soldier, and Brian would be sitting there, waiting for her. She couldn't even want to think about him starving to death. Feeling like her entire life was summed up to one instant, she ran.

"Brian…" She huffed as she flew down one of the alleys, a group of trained soldiers behind her. Hearing the slamming of the boots, it almost felt surreal. She was a thief for years, and often dreamt of this moment. Though, she did train for this and probably knew the streets better than many of the soldiers, she couldn't believe this was happening. She kept her head clear though, determined to make sure Brian would have his bread.

She kept to what she knew, pivoting at the right time for corners, knocking over trashcans and other things to slow them down. She was leading them back to the slums, back to where she left Brian. She avoided most alleys that could help her escape them, but wouldn't be able to climb with a loaf in her hands. As she continued to run, huffing from the chase, she caught Brian's brown eyes peering up from her from behind a couple of boxes down an alleyway. With one toss, the loaf spun up into the air, and landed right behind the boxes. She could only hope that the soldiers were more interested in her than grabbing what she threw. Unable to worry about that now, she ran into another alley that led back to the business district.

Elyse knew that even if she could outrun them, the baker knew her face, and would surely turn her into the authorities. There was no getting out of this predicament without her either dying or taken into custody. Though, if this was her one moment in life where she could test how far she could go. With a leap of faith, she decided to take up the challenge against the police force.

Just as she came back to the business district, other Police soldiers stayed behind, and attempted to corner her if she reappeared. It was like time slowed down for her. Elyse could read the other soldiers body movement. They had already placed so much weight into their ankles that she knew that if she could wait till the last second, and move around them that they would be to slow for her. About to clash right into them, she waited one final second before she spun around, dodging the hands that reached for her. Feeling her body rotate around, she set herself back on course. She peered behind her, seeing the frustrated look of the soldiers. She was smaller too, more agile than she appeared to be. Judging based on what they knew wasn't going to help them catch her.

Elyse took the following soldiers down another alleyway, towards the small river that came through the city. Knowing that this alley had a fence, Elyse picked up her speed, needing more distance from the soldiers to make this happen. Just as the soldiers took another turn, they thought they had her cornered. The fence was massive and sealed tight. Unless the small girl could climb quickly, she would finally be caught. To their dismay, she was already climbing when they arrived.

Marty had finally caught up with the group, spotting the blonde hair fugitive. He pulled out his rifle, aiming for her back. "Freeze! You continue to run and I will shoot you!" He almost smirked when she stopped in mid-climb. "Good, now get down and stop resisting arrest. If you apologize _correctly_, we won't report this." Other soldiers laughed in response, and a strange gleam in his eyes grew in Marty's eyes. Thinking that she was going to cooperate now that they had her cornered and threatened, Marty started to relax when a cold, icy glare pieced right through him. The look was so intense that he thought she would come down and rip him apart. Sweat was building at his hands when she started climbing again, quicker this time. She doubted his ability to shoot her. "H-hey!" He fumbled with his gun, trying to get his bearings again.

A firm hand landed on Marty's shoulder. His eyes meet another pair of blue eyes and he almost jumped in surprised. Commander Erwin stared at him with such a serious look. Marty had only hoped he hadn't heard his last comment. However, Erwin didn't mention it. He only stared at the fugitive before responding. "No guns are necessary. Captain Levi will handle her capture."

Marty set down his rifle, "Captain Levi?!" He exclaimed. He almost shot his foot in surprise. He remembered Erwin mentioning that name earlier and now it finally hit him. The shorter, dark haired man he offended was in fact the most famous soldier humanity had to offer. "Captain Levi…humanity's strongest soldier…" Marty felt like a complete failure compared to the Lance Corporal. Though, if he couldn't get the job done, no one could.

As Elyse finished climbing the fence, she hopped down, and landed firmly on the ground. Sensing that the Military Police wasn't following her, she took off into a light jog to gain back her stamina. She had been running for a long time now and though she had prepared for this, the adrenaline she felt wasn't something she arranged for. Fear was bubbling up inside of her about the idea of the consequences. She would be caught and left to remain in jail. Her mother probably would disown her for her actions too. Elyse wouldn't blame her. She didn't really amount to anything after all, just a common thief and an assaulter.

Break time was over when she heard more pounding of boots. She dusted herself off and began running again. She disappeared into another alleyway, using the time to climb up a ladder to get to one of the building's roofs. Though soldiers used their 3D maneuvering gear for Titan attacks, Elyse thought that she would be safer on the rooftops. Military Police never used them unless in extreme emergencies. From her high vision, she could see the other soldiers splitting up, and going down other alleyways. It was like playing a game of cat and mouse.

Hearing from the echoes of the streets that they were going to check the rooftops, Elyse decided it was a good time to move. She went to the end of the rooftop to step down when she was met by a pair of intense, steel eyes that were hidden behind jet black hair. She was startled by the sudden appearance of this man, instantly knowing he was a soldier by the emblem on his leather jacket. He landed in front of her, his green cloak wrapping around his shoulders, now hiding his uniform from her gaze.

Elyse stumbled backwards, though she regained her footing. They only stared at each other, waiting for the other to make their move. She wanted to turn the other way, but he displayed cunning agility on his attempt to reach her up here. As a soldier, he probably was familiar with rooftop bricking, where she wasn't so that idea was out of the question. He'd catch her the moment she'd run. Her only chance was to escape through the ladder, though he might catch her then too.

After a couple of seconds, the man spoke. "What are you going to choose?" Elyse blinked at him. He was seriously waiting for her to decide. He was patient, calculating, and more than likely deceiving. Though, Elyse wondered if he saw right through her. Did he know that she knew that this was going to end soon anyway? This was just a game to her now, her very last game before she would rot in prison.

Without hesitating, Elyse moved backwards, careful about the brick with her footing. She aimed for the handle of the ladder, and stumbled downwards. She made it to the ground when a blanket of green shrouded over her, blinding her vision. She tried to pull the fabric off of her when something hard pushed into her stomach. There was a sharp feeling that ripped the breath right out of her diaphragm. As black balls pulsed through her green vision, she let out one last groan of defeat before going unconscious.

Elyse had awoken within a jail cell with a throbbing headache and a bruise on her stomach. Having time to reflect on what happened, she came to the conclusion that the man who challenged her on the roof had covered her in his cloak, and had punched her so hard it knocked her out. With her hands surprisingly steady, her heart pounded slowly in her chest. A sad sigh escaped her lips, familiarizing herself with the small cell and the bars. Though this was just the holding cell, she probably going see these walls for a long time. And in these walls, she reflected on how such a sad and miserable person she was. She was a young woman, supposed to be happily married, working, and probably having babies around this time. Though, she chose a much different life.

Footsteps turned her attention to the figure at the cell door. It was just some soldier, a hard look on his face. He didn't seem like he admired his duty to much. He unlocked the door, fastened a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists, and ordered her to follow him. He led her to a room that wasn't like her cell, but a comfortable area with windows and sofas. Elyse glanced outside the glasses window, seeing the sunset ripple along the horizon. She dreaded how she probably would never be free enough to see it again.

At the sight of her, a man rose to his feet. Commander Erwin eyed her but smiled sincerely. "Hello, my name is Erwin Smith. I'm Commander of the Survey Corps. Please sit down." He gestured to the empty sofa across from him. As she sat down, she noticed there was another man leaning against the wall. Elyse recognized him as the man who encountered her on the roof. He had such a bored expression on his face, though it wasn't much different than the one he wore when they first met. Erwin must have taken notice to where she was looking and properly introduced the man. "Ah, that man there is Lance Corporal Levi. He is one of my captains for the Corps. Though, I'm sure you already met each other?" It wasn't a real question, and Elyse could tell that he was almost amused by it.

Erwin had sat down on the sofa across from Elyse, staring at her intently. "You know, I was quite impressed with your…display this afternoon." He had taken careful consideration over what words he used, trying not to over step his boundaries as a military official. Regardless of how impressive it was though, he couldn't act to relieved. She did assault and offend an entire military symbol.

Elyse didn't say anything, only eyeing the coffee table that separated them. Erwin continued speaking, "You really offended many officers today, not only for throwing bread but resisting arrest. Many of them believed that you were mocking them." Though there wasn't any amusement laced in his expression, his tone sounded like he enjoyed her attempt at mockery. However, a sharp frown laced his features. "And Marty, the officer you assaulted is pressing charges. Not only that, but some information was leaked about you." This caught Elyse's full attention. Her blue eyes flickered towards his, matching almost in color. "Turns out that you also stole from many noblemen and businesses?"

Elyse noticed that there was a slight exchange of glances between Erwin and Levi. Almost like there was a quiet, unspeakable conversation going on between them. Elyse shuffled uncomfortably. Brian wasn't one to tell on her, so she ruled him out. However, there were many eyes and ears in the slums. It could have obvious about her real identity but still couldn't fathom someone turning on her. Perhaps she wasn't a hero to Brian, but a nuisance to someone else. Erwin's eyes landed back on her, "It's interesting though."

Elyse knew what was coming and decided to beat him to it. "Because of what my social standing is?" From the look on his face, she was right in assuming. She decided to explain to him. "I was doing it for someone else. I'm not blaming anyone, nor am I involve in some type of gang. There was this kid whose family couldn't provide for their children anymore. The taxes really hurt them." It felt weird telling her story, she never told anyone before. "So I decided to help. I was too young to have money and knew my parents wouldn't help his family so I decided to do something else entirely."

"So you robbed people?" The comment came from Levi. From the look on his face, it almost seemed like he disapproved, but his tone told something else all together. She wasn't sure what he meant by it, but continued anyway.

"Yes, but it was from people who wouldn't need it. Nobles and business people are wasteful. If they were going to be so wasteful with things that others need, I was going to take it. I know people who wouldn't waste things. I know people who are dying to survive_._" As she finished, she could see something resonate within the commander. He smiled and stood up from his place on the sofa.

"The Military Police won't understand your perspective of survival, but I do." Erwin's hard, blue eyes beamed down at her. "Your trial is going to begin soon and I know they are going to want you in prison or put to death for your past crimes." The light in Elyse's eyes was fading, hanging on like a candle in the wind. "However, if there is something I can do, I will. I admire your courage." With that, soldiers came in, and carried Elyse off down the hallway.

Levi moved from his spot from the wall, staring at his commander. "You really think this is a good idea?"

Erwin made himself a cup of tea. "Only time can tell, but if there is something I've learned over the years is that I have a gift for spotting natural talent." Erwin's eyes landed upon Levi's, making the shorter male scoff in reply.

"The girl may have dodged and outsmarted professional soldiers, but that doesn't mean she has the skills against Titans."

Erwin's eyes danced in amusement, knowing his fellow soldier wasn't seeing the connection. "You were once the same too, were you not?"

Levi's face twisted in remembrance, though it was so long ago. "You know how I feel about wasting lives, Erwin. You convince them not to kill her and she comes with us only wait to die as well. There is no win here." Titans were so unpredictable that even the most skilled would die cruelly to the monsters. Levi had seen a lot of his fellow soldiers perish, people whom he started to get comfortable around, people who he respected, and for Erwin to have a hunch about a young women who was quick on her feet to join their ranks without training almost offense to him.

"Well then, if I do convince the court, then she'll be under your watch. Make sure that she learns properly and doesn't die then." Erwin eyed the younger male. Levi wasn't happy about this. He could tell from the contortion that twisted onto Levi's features. Though he was clearly against it, he didn't say anymore about it. Erwin was his commander and he trusted his judgment. Erwin didn't have any judgment about Levi's perspective either. Though, if there was one person who could teach anyone anything about fighting against Titans, it was Levi.

Finally, the trial was underway. Elyse was pulled into a big room filled with offended Military Police, important disciplinary council members, and even Commander Erwin. Instinctively, her eyes darted around the group of officials but didn't spot Levi among them. As they moved her into the center of the court room, Elyse spotted her mother and father among the people attending. Elyse almost felt her stomach drop, her mother had been crying, and could only imagine on how she would react from the sentencing.

The moment Elyse had walked in, there were many whispers. She didn't look like the common criminal that made their into the court room. With her blonde still pulled into a simple braid, pink shirt, and azure eyes looked more watery than icy, she almost looked like a trampled flower. The guards stopped ushering her forward once she reached the center, standing in front of the council members. They were still whispering among themselves when the trial began. Erwin had almost hoped that Elyse's innocent looking appearance would sway the council away from her crimes.

The buzzing of voices didn't reach Elyse. Being in the court room was overwhelming. She felt almost out of it, dizzy even, as other talked about the girl in front of them. Her attention came in and out, hearing bits and pieces of "stole from the finest people in the city", "doesn't look very threatening…", "should be jailed anyway", and what snapped her out of her whirlwind was the simple phrase, "She should be put to death for the crimes she's committed." An older looking man stated it, staring her straight in the eye. "Clearly she's mastered it. Look at her. Looks innocent enough, wouldn't ever look like a criminal who dared steal from nobles, let alone attack one of our finest soldiers…"

There was more chatter, arguing between council members. Erwin had used this time to make his appeal. "Council members, if I may?" No one rejected, so he continued. "Regardless of whatever the court decides to be the fate of this young woman, she won't be free to roam the city under any circumstances what-so-ever?" There was grumbling, but they were all agreed. "Then, it shouldn't matter what type of fate this woman endures, correct?"

The older member spoke up, "Just what are you getting at, Erwin?"

"Well, the Survey Corps always needs more men to supply the ranks. I was there when this woman disturbed the peace, and even though it's unforgivable for what she did to the officer, she did show some talent that the Corps could use. Regardless what you all decided, wouldn't you want this criminal to reform, and help humanity in its fight for freedom?"

There were eyes shifting around the room as the question loomed over them. To have this woman die or be jailed here, or be trapped with the ranks of the most life- threatening regiment in the military? It would almost be a waste if she was capable to have her die here, especially when humanity's fate tipping ever slowly off the deep end. Eventually, the council members came to sudden agreement.

"Commander Erwin Smith, you've made an excellent point. Elyse Owens, charged with assault and thievery will be assigned to the Survey Corps under your rule. See to it that this criminal finds a place among your ranks." With that, it was over, and Elyse's life was spared. Though, as guards hauled her away, Elyse didn't feel like she was safe at all. She was forced to enlist to the Survey Corps, the regiment that barely survived five minutes outside the walls. Sure, she was safe from the bullet from the Military Police's rifles, but she would surely die at the hands of a Titan.

Elyse's handcuffs were removed as she placed into the parlor where she met Erwin. She was left alone in there and could almost scream in frustration. Didn't anyone care what she thought of it all? Didn't anyone ask her which death she'd like? All she did was steal food and some money from people. It wasn't like she killed anyone. The only one who seemed to understand the severity of her sentence was her parents, who silently cried as the sentence was given. Sure, Elyse was going land in hot water for her actions, but to be sent to kill Titans?

As the door opened, Levi stepped through, and looking more irritable than her. He eyed her and with some difficulty, she tried to bite her tongue. "Where's Erwin?" Though she was trying to be reasonable, she was about to burst with frustration. He'd said he'd help her, not enlist her.

"What? Not satisfied with how it went?" He wasn't exactly condescending, though it was almost sounded like he was mocking her.

"Not at all…" Her fists were clenching, knuckles turning white with pressure. Levi noticed the sudden rage that was building up inside of her.

"Getting angry won't help. You should be thankful. Erwin doesn't do this for everyone. You're lucky you picked today of all days to grow a spine against the force." Levi stated with a huff, eyebrows tensing. "He was somehow impressed by you and decided to save your life. Though, it's up to you now to save your own against the Titans."

She didn't know if talking to him was helping, but it relaxed her somehow. He wasn't like other people. People were usually so animated, full of obnoxious colors that demanded to be seen and heard. Levi wasn't like that at all. Either he didn't care or his color was stuffed out of him a long time ago. From the tired bags under his eyes, and how tense his eyes were, Elyse could practically feel his burden. Though, she did wonder why he challenged her on the roof instead of chase mindlessly after her like the other soldiers. From his cunning, she figured he had real experience, and decided to ask him one last question.

"Erwin was impressed with me." Her eyes lingered on his for a second, deciding it was safe to ask. "Were you?"

From the question, Levi knew she was referring to the moment on the roof. He stared, unmoving, silent besides for his soft inhales of breath. Elyse took notice of shorter he was than the average male. Though, she was on the shorter side as well, Levi was a bit shorter than her. If it wasn't for his glare made of steel, she would have thought he looked intimidating but with her life on the line, and his emotionless expression, it was hard for fear to reach her. Though when his face changed unexpectedly to one of honest observation, she felt her heart quicken slightly.

"Not bad for a punk, street kid." He deadpanned, caused Elyse to shudder in frustration.

"Hey, I'm not a punk or a kid." She stated, though from the look on her face, Levi wasn't convinced. It wouldn't matter if she was older than she looked; she still had a youthful sense to her.

"Maybe." Levi held the door open, eyes ushering her to come. "Erwin has placed you under my care so we shall see which one you really are, a street punk brat or just a simple minded brat." There was no getting around him, no matter how many times she could tell him that she wasn't, he wouldn't believe her. Huffing in defeat, she followed his order, and walked out the door. She avoided his gaze, though she could practically feel steel orbs stabbing away at her back. It was a classic case of out of the frying pan, and into the freezer. Lance Corporal Levi was the iciest thing out there and she was not looking forward to training with him.

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Okay, hopefully this story is better. I'm liking version much better anyway. Though, please review tell me what you think.

You guys like Elyse or whatnot? Please rate and review. :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi everybody! Chapter 2 is finally up and it definitely exhausted me! LOL!

Also, just want to give out some shoutouts to some people who made my day with their following of this story. Thank you to: CreativeChica39, JakeRp Lane, and TracingRoses. I'm so happy you guys found an interest with this story. Hopefully I can keep interesting you guys and others as well.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

Night was quickly descending when the Survey Corps left Wall Sina for their headquarters. Lance Corporal Levi had insisted they leave immediately, hoping to reach their destination before night engulfed them. With Elyse among the small group that was heading back, she wasn't sure why the strongest soldier was concerned about the approaching darkness when the sun was barely visible, spreading its last breath of pink and gold within the sky. The deep blackness was threatening to take over, moon creeping closer to its spot in the sky. From the creeping shadows, Elyse realized that they would be riding back in complete darkness if they didn't reach the headquarters soon. Though she was sure they knew their way around, traveling during night without torches to light the way would prove to be rather difficult.

Among the group, Levi led the Corps. From what Elyse could tell Erwin wasn't among them. When she asked why he wasn't coming back as well, Levi stated that he had more business to attend to within Wall Sina. Apparently the commander was a very busy man, coming and going like the wind. It seemed he only popped up whenever it was necessary then only to disappear again. Levi didn't seem too concerned with the commander's whereabouts, as he rallied up the Survey Corps who had accompanied them to the city to head back home. With Elyse among them, the soldiers questioned her arrival. Elyse was about to tell them the truth when Levi shut her down, and told them that she was being recruited. Apparently the other soldiers took that as if she was being recruited personally by the corporal, which apparently never happened unless you had demonstrated true skills.

As they rode on horseback, little to no conversation was exchanged, and Elyse was slightly grateful for it. Though she was exhausted from the day's events, she also didn't know what she could and couldn't say. Levi made a point that her recruitment wasn't to be told to the other troops. All she really wanted right now was to get to the headquarters and put this day behind her. Head still boggling with questions and inner regrets, Elyse's eyes grow heavy, and her head bobbed from exhaustion. If it wasn't for the pounding of the other horses' hooves, she surely thought she would have fallen asleep right then. Another soldier noticed Elyse's sleepy state and tried to start up conversation.

"Tired, huh?" There was a small smile on his face, though it seemed a bit out of place. Perhaps she disappointed the soldier with her undisciplined behavior. She tried her best to make sure he understood that she wasn't trying to be unprofessional.

"Yes. It's been a very long day." She replied, returning the smile only for it to feel like a sleepy, sloppy grin. Starting to feel insecure about it, she tried to wake herself up more, alerting her senses to her surroundings.

The soldier didn't seem to be offended by her behavior. "I bet it was. I heard impressing Lance Corporal Levi is no easy task. They are saying that you're being labeled just as a recruit, but you are to be placed under his command." Elyse felt herself sweating, feeling the immense pressure to be a better soldier than the average recruit. "You must be pretty amazing. Have a drink with me when we get back?" The soldier winked at her, his smile turning into a playful smirk. Elyse couldn't tell if he was just being friendly or actually serious. Though, before she could give him an answer, Lance Corporal's voice chimed in from the horse in front of them.

"Are you even of age, Owens?" The question was definitely directed at Elyse. She shouldn't have been surprised by his comment. From the moment they met, he was constantly insulting her about her youthful appearance. The moment the question was asked, she shot him an annoyed look while the soldiers who were listening only laughed.

"How old do you think I am?" She grumbled, her grip tightening on the handle of her horse. Who was going to take her seriously if they all thought that she was a child?

Levi glanced back at her, studying her expression. From the tense look on her face, he could easily tell that his hazing was affecting her. Though her annoyed expression was directed towards him and probably at the other soldiers who laughed at her, she focused her attention onto the passing trees. It wasn't a very intense look, more of an expression of uneasiness, and one of uncertainty. Levi was having second thoughts about this recruitment idea. Erwin had seen something within her, but Levi was seeing something completely different. She wasn't confident with unfamiliarity and he was concerned that she would be frightened to be any use to them at all. She could have the potential, but that didn't mean she had the guts. Killing Titans was no easy feat and to put someone on the battlefield who was inexperienced and afraid of death was a terrible combination.

As if she could sense his gaze, Elyse's eyes shifted back onto him, catching his stare. The moment she noticed him staring, something in her changed. Almost as if she had just awakened from a bad dream, she seemed more alert and focused. Any trace of uncertainty had dispersed from her face. Looking forward again, he sighed outwardly. He was really hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.

Elyse blinked, a bit taken back when she found the Corporal staring back at her. Though he had a look of complete disinterest, Elyse could tell he didn't just look at her for just any reason. He was thinking about something and it almost looked like he doubted her. She didn't like the feeling of having to impress these soldiers just to prove her worth but that was why she was here in the first place. Erwin had apparently seen her in action and felt like she was wasting her time within the city walls. She had taught herself how to use the world around her as her playground and was determined to make her existence mean something here. A lot of people were counting on her to be more than just that city girl with a little rebellion inside of her.

The group had finally reached what looked like to be the headquarters. Torches lit up around the premises, showing off its bulky size and brick walls. It looked almost like an inns that were in the city. Elyse was in shock of it all. Though she would be staying here with other soldiers, the place looked huge, and much nicer compared to the size of her house. Levi had led the group to the stables, which were detached from the main building but still close by.

Finally dismounting her horse, Elyse stretched, relief washing over her as the trip was finally over. Levi was putting his steed away when he called her. "Owens." It sounded strangely official and she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the formality of it. The other soldiers had already slipped past them, heading inside for a warm meal. They were practically alone. "You are a recruit to the Survey Corps. Tonight you will have some leeway, but tomorrow morning your duty as a soldier begins."

Elyse nodded, petting the neck of her horse thoughtfully. Uncertainty was flooding back to her. "Yes, sir…"

"And as your Captain," Levi approached her, grabbing her wrists, "You need to salute properly." He had placed one wrist over her heart while placing the other on her backside. Elyse had never saluted before and felt almost silly. Looking rather annoyed at her failed attempt, Levi left go, and started to walk away. "Consider figuring out how to salute be one of your first tasks."

Elyse felt embarrassed and tried saluting again, making it seem more realistic. "Yes, sir."

Not looking at her progress and still keeping his gaze forward, he only waved, showing his uninterested support. "Forget it. Let's go inside."

The warmth of the headquarters was tingling. It was louder than she expected from such soldiers, but it was all sincere gestures as other soldiers welcomed the group back from their ride. The soldiers were in the middle of dinner, eating, drinking, and talking amongst themselves. As Elyse followed Levi into the dining space, she finally realized how out of place she was. The soldiers all wore their sporting leather jackets and white slacks. Not one of them was in their individual attire and Elyse almost felt inappropriately dressed. She was still wearing her pink button up and jeans. Eyes looked her way, some sizing her up, and others having a look of pure confusion as she continued to follow the short, yet skilled Corporal to a table.

As they approached one of the tables, a group of soldiers greeted the corporal warmly. "Captain Levi, welcome back!" Some males from the table lifted their cups, toasting to Levi's return. Elyse got a good look at them. There were two blonde males, one with an air of respect and an refined air about him, and the other seemed on the ruder side when he noticed Elyse. He had wavy blonde hair and though he wore the distinct uniform, the man also sported a personal white cravat. She recognized a similar one around Levi's neck. His eyes narrowed carefully at the sight of her, taking a cautious sip from his drink.

"Who is the kid behind you, Captain?" From his mentioning, the other member's glances fell upon her as well.

Levi turned his attention on Elyse. "Elyse Owens. And excuse her lack of attire; she doesn't have a proper uniform yet."

The only female at the table spoke up. Elyse noticed how pretty she was with her strawberry blonde hair tucked back behind her ears. She looked like she was closest one to her age. "Captain, you don't mean…?" Elyse noted that she was also sharp, understanding what Levi was saying before the rest of them.

Levi's emotionless eyes lingered on Elyse's face for a moment before turning his attention elsewhere. "Yes, I recruited her." From the replies and questions from the group of people, Elyse continued to stare at him. Her heart was dropping deeper down into her stomach. From the look on his face, he didn't like repeating himself or telling the story. Elyse's judgment was clarified. He didn't think she belonged here. Almost like he could sense it, his eyes snapped back towards her, and glowered. "Are you still standing? Sit down already."

As Elyse took a seat beside the strawberry blonde woman, she instantly introduced herself. "I'm Petra Ral. It's nice to meet you." Smiling at her warmly, Elyse bit her lip, and tried to return the smile back. "So, you're not a soldier yet?" The question seemed genuine so Elyse decided to trust her.

"Not yet..." Elyse said, still unsure on how much information she could give. She glanced at Levi, hoping to get some kind of signal that she could talk freely but either he was ignoring her or his attention was elsewhere. She continued, trying her best not to say anything that would cause a thorn in Erwin and Levi plans. "I believe I was brought here to train?" She didn't mean for it sound so much like a question.

Petra didn't seem to mind. "Well, I guess it's okay if Levi recruited you. I'm sure you'll do fine." There was another warm smile that almost felt like another punch into Elyse's stomach. She was starting to believe that the council members did this on purpose just to torture her humility. How many people can she disappoint? Send her to the Corps; make them believe that she's some type of prodigy only to have her die from the first encounter of a Titan. Elyse squirmed internally; she wasn't so sure about herself anymore.

A nervous laugh escaped her lips, "I'll try my best…"

Dinner had ended after an hour of Elyse arriving to the Corps headquarters. Elyse discovered the other members who were sitting at the table. Their names were Erd, Gunther, and Auruo. From what Petra had told her, they were all apart of Levi's team, and each selected for their advanced skill against Titans. Though as soon as she met them, the gang decided to call it a night, and left the dining hall. Levi and Elyse sat there, again being the only ones left within the place.

The moment they were alone, Levi spoke to her, "So by now I'm sure you're aware of the situation?"

Elyse looked at him reluctantly. "You've told them that you recruited me personally. From how Petra described it, it seems like a great honor." Light was flooding from her eyes. All she could think about was how much a phony she was.

With a slow and steady sip from his teacup, he replied, "Erwin decided it was best to keep your reasoning for being here a secret. He placed you under my authority, to make sure you learn how to become a soldier." His eyes flickered across her grim expression again, searching for something. "Though, it seems like you're beginning to doubt yourself?"

"I can't help it." Elyse stated, unable to meet his intense stare. "Your team is full of advanced killers and I'm…" She trailed off, not sure if her choice of words would be appropriate.

"A thief and a street brat?" Levi decided to finish for her, letting his drink down. That statement gained her attention back. "Regardless of what you believe, Erwin saved your life. Now you owe it to him to show what you can do. Remember, you could be dead right now but instead, you're alive. Believe me; I know many who would love to swap places with you, even if that meant to deceive other soldiers with why you're here." The look on his face was almost grave, though it faded as quickly as it came.

Elyse couldn't argue with him though. He did have a point. She was alive, while so many were not. She wasn't sure about the idea of her becoming a soldier, especially which could involve her dying at any moment in time. Though, she probably would have been dead anyway if Erwin hadn't intervened during the trial. No matter how gruesome the battles may become, she had a chance at living, and maybe actually find meaning to her life.

Eventually Levi stood up and urged Elyse to follow him. As they walked, Elyse got more of a view the inner walls of the building. The bottom half mostly was filled with the section for the dining room, offices, and storage rooms. The upstairs was where the majority of the bedrooms were. They came to an empty door and Levi pushed it open, eyeing the contents inside before deciding it would be fine. He found one of the candles and lit it. The room appeared to be little small, but Elyse didn't complain when noticed the spare door. It probably was the bathroom. "You can have this room. Also, as a recruit and new cadet, you have to learn discipline. I will be putting you on a very strict, set schedule."

First, she would attend breakfast in the morning. There was a leeway with the break schedule, having two hours to eat before the next thing on her schedule. After breakfast, she would train outside with one of his squad members. Elyse was under the impression that he would teach her but she didn't say anything against it. Since she had to learn quickly, she was supposed to train for three hours every day. Then, in the afternoon, after lunch if she desired, Elyse would have to report to Levi's office for clerical work until dinner. Elyse knew that schedule was to teach her discipline, but it seemed like she was just to be doing busy work for majority of the day.

Sighing inwardly at tomorrow's activities, she nodded in agreement, and was finally left alone in her new room. Unable to hold it back anymore, she fell onto her bed, and felt the warm tears trickle down her face. She buried herself in her pillow, unsure where her path would lead. Feeling the biggest knot inside of her trying to wriggle free, she let it go and finally drifted off into a much needed sleep.

Elyse woke groggily the next day. Though she had initially fallen asleep, she kept tossing, and turning throughout the night. As the morning sun peaked in through the window, Elyse decided it was time for her get up. About to head for the bathroom to wash up, Elyse saw something at the corner of her eye. She hadn't seen it there before; though she thought that maybe she wasn't looking close enough. On a chair was her uniform. She fingered the green cloak, eyeing the _Wings of Freedom _emblem. Tracing her finger over the patch, she couldn't help but to feel like she wanted to be free too.

Elyse eventually set the cloak back down and headed for the bathroom. She washed up, unable to stand yesterdays sweat anymore. As she finished, she tied her hair into another braid, and discarded her clothes from yesterday. Having her old clothes be the only thing to remind her of home, she placed them in a pile, and hoped to find time to wash them. She traded her pink shirt for a white one, button it up, and putting on the matching jeans. As a finishing touch, Elyse added on the brown jacket, and the boots. She straightened herself up and looked down at herself. She still couldn't believe she was wearing a soldier's uniform.

Elyse left for the dining with plenty of time before the next thing on her agenda. On her way, there was a voice that called out from behind her. "Elyse!" It was Petra and she had broken into a light job to keep up with her. "Nice uniform."

Elyse laughed, knowing she was probably comparing it to her attire last night. "Yeah, it fits almost perfectly. It's strange though, I found it in my room this morning."

Petra smiled slyly, "You're a heavy sleeper…" From Elyse's reaction, she laughed in enjoyment. "Yeah, Captain Levi asked me to find you a uniform that would fit. It seems like I was right." She eyed Elyse's uniform, straightening the edges of her shoulders out. "Definitely a good fit. But anyways, you have some time for breakfast right?"

Elyse nodded in replied and Petra decided that they should have breakfast together. As they walked down the hallway, Elyse couldn't remember the last time she had a friend who was a girl. She knew she had to have at least one growing up, but it had been forever since another girl wanted to talk with her.

It wasn't like Elyse wasn't outgoing or remotely rude, but she remembered how other girls looked down on her. Elyse had a hard time growing out her rough, tomboy phase until her mother continued to pressure her to become more ladylike. Eventually she gave in to impress her mother, but she never quite felt comfortable in a regal dress. Elyse supposed that her "extra" activities during the day helped her from going insane from the pressure. She had the realization that taking things from snobby people and challenging her body limits was an outlet for her. A way to snap back at the pressure her mother continually placed on her.

Entering the dining table, Elyse noticed how it wasn't as crowded as it was last night. "It's actually quieter this morning."

Sitting down with their meal, Petra spoke up. "Breakfast is more a free-for-all around here. Lots of people like to sleep in, especially if it was like it was last night." She chuckled at the idea. Elyse did notice that a lot of people were drinking last night. "So I really enjoy waking up early so I can have my breakfast in a quieter atmosphere." Elyse couldn't help but to agree. There was definitely a much different ambiance. Though more serious, she could actually hold a conversation without feeling like she was yelling at the poor person.

Just as the girls sat down and chatted more, other members from Levi's squad came down to greet them. A dark haired man that Elyse's remembered as Gunther approached them. His dark hair was short and pushed back, hair leaving a slight point at the back of his head. He had tan skin and a serious look to his face even though he smiled at them. He was followed in by Auruo, who Elyse remembered as the rude one of the group. Petra smiled at them. "Hey guys. Good morning."

Gunther sat down, reaching for a mug only to find it empty. He looked slightly disappointed. "Good morning Petra." His brown eyes lifted from his empty drink and studied Elyse's face. For a moment she had thought he didn't remember her name but he said, "And good morning to you, Elyse."

Before she could reply back to him, Auruo sat down with a gruff sigh. He was wearing the same white cravat as Levi again this morning. From the way he was sitting, it almost seemed like he was trying to copy the captain. His eyes landed on Elyse, studying her hard with a stony face. "Why is this greenhorn sitting with us?" Petra hit his shoulder and shot him a look. Auruo flinched but didn't seem like he relented on his opinion.

Elyse's grip fastened on her fork when she made eye contact with the older soldier. She didn't know how much more of this hazing her could take. Feeling something inside her snap, she stated coolly, "Is this the cool table or something?"

In replied, Auruo could only bite his tongue as his friends chuckle at her replied. Though, he relaxed a bit before talking. "It's good you have some spirit. Captain Levi put me in charge of your training and you're going to need some of it, Cadet."

Auruo's threat was put to the test after breakfast. He immediately ordered that she meet him outside on the backside to the main building. As Elyse found her way outside, she couldn't believe that entire backyard was dedicated to their training grounds. It was spacious, having a dirt road encircling the yard for running, contraptions that looked like metal swings, wooden posts, and combat equipment. Other soldiers were already using it, some running, but majority were within the woods, practicing with their 3DMG.

Auruo was already waiting for her by the dirt track and Elyse approached him cautiously. "Welcome to the training grounds. It's available to anyone and open all day. The woods are closed during the night though, due to light issues." He scoffed at her, almost mocking her short size and stature with his chin pointing up in the air. "Though, I highly doubt you'd be that stupid anyway." Knowing he was just trying to get underneath her skin, she ignored his comments. Auruo continued. "The captain told me that you were already in shape, so endurance wouldn't be a problem. However, I suppose you would like to warm up…"

Elyse almost smiled in eagerness. "Yes sir!"

Auruo sighed, "Alright, then get to it." They agreed that only a couple of laps would suffice; only being purposeful for a warm up. As Elyse finished, she stretched, and rubbed her leg muscles. They felt surprisingly stiffer than usual. Bouncing up from the ground, Elyse ignored it. Noting that she seemed ready for the next step, Auruo smirked at her. "Now the real fun begins."

Auruo had taken her one of the metal swings. "This will test your balance. The goal is once you're strapped in, not to fall. As soldiers, we rely heavily on the 3DMG to fly. It's our only real chance at survival. Once used to this thing," he patted the swing, "then you can try the real thing."

Elyse's heart thumped anxiously. It looked remotely easy, though she knew from training as a kid that things aren't always as simple as they appeared. Jumping walls took a lot of bloodied hands and knees before she finally got the hang of it. Though she knew that things took time, she was hoping she could master this so she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself.

As Auruo strapped her into the harness and held her up, her pulse quickened in anticipation. He eyed her seriously. "Are you ready?" With a deep breath and slow nod, Auruo let go, and Elyse was on her own. For a second, she felt her equilibrium shift, like an hourglass tipping over, and…

_Bam!_

Elyse had slammed hard into the ground. She had used her elbows to break her fall and though it was successful, she could feel the sting of the ripped flesh. Auruo laughed at her first attempt. "Not so easy, is it? Want to give up?"

Gripping the dirt beneath her hands for support, she used her strength to push up. Being a strained plank position, Elyse shook her head, not accepting defeat. "No, help me up." Still chuckling from her fall, he helped her get situated before letting her handle it. The moment he let go, she fell yet again, but this time landing on her back. Her head hit the firm ground, and for a moment she thought she was seeing stars. With her feet up in the air, she felt embarrassed.

Auruo's laughter filled the air but he grabbed her arm to lift her up. "Oh, man, you greenhorn. You're totally doing it wrong." He suppressed another chuckle as she came back to upright position. "You alright?"

Half dazed and half determined Elyse nodded reluctantly. "Yes sir. Let me try again?"

Training had taken a toll on her. Not only did she spend majority of it on the swing and continually to fail miserably, she had to skip over it, and tread on with the other exercises. Auruo had put her through agility, balance, coordination, and strength tests. At the end of it, he had to compliment her on her speed and agility, though it was clear where the main concern was. If she couldn't conquer the swing, she wouldn't have a future as a soldier.

Elyse felt a pain in her stomach as she sat on the ground, huffing from all the training. Auruo was talking to her, but she couldn't focus. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Erwin found out what a waste she was. She could practically see if blue eyes narrowing in disappointment, shipping her back to the Military Police to await her new sentence. As much as her entire body ached and begged to quit, she couldn't go back to meet Lance Corporal's doubtful eyes. She was afraid of that look of absolute disappointment. Erwin and Levi were counting on her. Elyse couldn't let them down.

"Cadet? Elyse, are you even listening?" Auruo's voice snapped her back into reality, looking a bit aggravated. Looking up at him, she could practically see Corporal Levi looking back at her. Auruo almost had him copied to an acute point.

Elyse nodded, though her eyes were pleading. "I have to try the swing again. Please, I have to get it right!" Elyse wanted to explain to Auruo the urgency, though it was beyond her authority to speak of such things. She had only hoped that he would at least understand her silent plight, hoping that he had a soft side somewhere inside of him.

Auruo sighed, "Trying it more today won't help. Besides I'm tired and have other things to do besides watch you fall on your face again." Defeated, Elyse followed orders, and stood up. Auruo couldn't help but to bite his lip, seeing her azure eyes look so glum. "Listen, you didn't do horrible. You have some potential and…" His eyes were swiftly looking around before he replied, "I failed my first couple of times too. So just come back tomorrow with a clear head."

Elyse forced a smile, hoping that his story was true, and that she wasn't a complete failure. If Auruo had trouble and still made it to Levi's squad, then there was still hope for her. Though, regardless of her swing disaster, it did feel nice to make some common ground with one of her superiors. With a much warmer smile, Elyse replied, "Thank you."

Her sudden politeness threw Auruo off and he stiffed slightly. Shaken by her sweetness, Auruo's behavior swiftly changed back to its usual attitude. "Whatever, just do better next time." He dismissed her as he quickly marched back into the building.

Elyse followed him, though eventually made her way upstairs to her room. She wanted to freshen herself up before she attended lunch, and eventually back to the Corporal's office for "disciplinary/clerical" duties. Rubbing the sweat off of her face, undoing her braid, and letting her hair fall around her features, Elyse felt ready to leave. She went down to the dining hall for a quick lunch when Petra was just serving lunch to the Levi's squad.

She smiled warmly at Elyse. "How is everything?"

Elyse forced a smile, swallowing her real emotions downward. "It's good. How was your guys' day?" Azure eyes scanned over the table, everyone was there besides for the Corporal. They all nodded, replying quickly about their day of training and such. Petra offered Elyse a seat next to her.

"Have a seat with us. I made sandwiches." Petra stated, eyeing the several plates with sandwiches on it. "If there isn't enough, I can always make more…"

As Elyse sat down, Auruo shook his head. "No, don't worry about it. You've already worked hard enough today."

Feeling relieved from his comment, Petra sat the plates down, and served each member. As she finally gave herself a plate, Petra sat down, and looked at Elyse. "So how was your first day of training?"

Elyse reflected on the failed training and couldn't help but to feel discouraged. "Oh, you know…"

Auruo eyed her sharply, "I told you kid, it wasn't that terrible."

Gunther looked up, bread crumbs still on his cheeks from Petra's sandwich. "What do mean terrible?"

Petra looked concerned, eyeing both Elyse and Auruo. "What happened?"

"Nothing bad…" Elyse stated, finally looking at the strawberry blonde. "Just had trouble with the training, that's all."

Auruo took a long swig of his drink. "She had trouble with the swing. She kept falling."

To Elyse's surprise, they all looked relieved. Petra touched Elyse's shoulder, comforting her. "Oh, well that's okay. You're new and it's tough at first. Don't get discouraged."

Erd finally spoke up, remaining quiet the entire time. He smiled at the young girl, "Many people don't get it the first time."

Gunther chimed in, "Yeah, Elyse don't worry. It's only your first day."

With all of their reassuring smiles, Elyse didn't whether to smile or cry. Her heart felt like it was swelling and she tried her best not to let it show. "But…"

Petra waved her finger at her. "No buts. Just because Levi picked you doesn't mean you have be a genius at it. He told us that you had no experience with the gear so we understand if you don't get it at first. Believe me; it's not as easy as it looks using 3DMG's."

Auruo chimed in, smirking slightly. "Yeah, you can't expect to be perfect right off the bat. Well, besides the Captain. He is the best."

Petra's sweet smile twisted into a sinister smirk, aiming at Auruo. "For a minute there I thought you were going to say you were the best."

Lunch ended shortly after everyone finished their sandwiches. Thanking Petra for her cooking, the male soldiers scattered, leaving her with cleaning the dishes. She sighed and began picking up after them.

"You know, I don't mind cooking for them, but I'm not the maid." She huffed, annoyed with her squad. Hearing her, Elyse started to help her picked up the dishes. Petra jumped, "No, it's okay Elyse, you don't have to help. Don't you have to report to the Captain's office?"

Elyse smiled at her, wanting to return the favor for her being so supportive and kind. Besides, Petra didn't have to offer her a sandwich, but she did anyway. "It's okay. I'm sure he'll understand. It should only take a couple of minutes anyway."

Petra's annoyed frown disappeared. "You're right. Actually, if you want to score brownie points with him, this is definitely the way to do it."

Carrying the piles of dishes in her arms, Elyse followed Petra into the kitchen. "What do you mean?"

"Captain Levi has a soft spot for clean things. He sees you cleaning and you might even make him smile." Petra stated, putting her dishes into the kitchen sink.

Elyse thought about this for a moment. She couldn't envision Levi ever smiling, even if it was the tiniest smile he could muster. With his scowl and emotionless expressions, Elyse just couldn't see it. "Have you ever seen it?"

"Only a number of times," Petra started, scrubbing the dishes thoughtfully, "but it was also very, very rare." She turned her head, looking back at Elyse. "Speaking of the Captain, he didn't meet us for lunch today. I still have an extra sandwich. Bring tea and food with you, and he might excuse you for being tardy." She said with a wink.

Elyse smiled and nodded. "Sure." After the dishes were scrubbed and filed properly back into their cabinets, Petra got Levi's surprise lunch ready. Placing the lone sandwich on a tiny plate along with a cup of tea, Petra sent Elyse on her way.

"Good luck!" Petra called out before Elyse disappeared behind a corner. Elyse felt an awkward smile force its way out. She never been to the Corporal's office before and hoped that her training at hadn't reached Levi's ears yet. Though his squad was kind and supportive, Elyse feared that Levi wouldn't be so welcoming.

As she stood in front of his door, Elyse huffed in anticipation. "Well, here we go…" Just as she was going to knock on Levi's office door, it swung open. Elyse almost dropped the sandwich and tea in surprise.

Dark blue eyes stared back at her. "There you are. I was wondering when your ass was going to show up." There Levi stood, no taller than she with a dark expression on his face. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the sandwich and cup tea. "And you brought your lunch with you?" It was a snide remark.

Elyse felt her palms grow sweaty from the surprise. "Um, actually these are for you." Levi's face changed slightly. The grim, almost angry expression faded slowly as his eyes widen lightly.

"What?"

"Petra wanted me to give this to you." Elyse offered him the plate and the cup. "Said that you didn't enjoy us for lunch so we figured you'd be hungry." From the lack of emotion on his face, Elyse lowered her arms. "Or I could just bring it back-"

He was quick as he snatched the objects she was holding. Levi leaned his back on the door with an ominous gaze still lingering on her. "It's fine. Now get your ass inside. I've grown tired of waiting for you."

Deciding not to waste anymore of his time, Elyse quickly went into his office, and was met with a sweet aroma. It reminded her of springtime, scent of flowers lingering around. To match the scent of cleanliness, Levi's office was surprising very organized. A wooden table sitting in the middle of the room had a small stack of papers. Though they were scattered across his desk, the papers were placed into systematize piles. Levi was surprising Elyse every day. Rumored to be the strongest soldier along with having a bit of an abrasive nature to him was also clean cut with a cleaning streak. Elyse just couldn't wrap her head around the guy.

Elyse continued to look around the office, still surprised by its overall cleanliness. "I like your office. It smells nice in here." As the door shut behind them and Levi stalked back to his desk, Elyse could have sworn she saw his lips twitch upward though it was gone when he sat down.

"Well at least you have good taste. Not many other soldiers here have clue about cleanliness. It's disgusting." At the mentioning of the other soldier hygiene levels made his frown deepen. Setting his lunch down, he picked up one of the paper documents, and started reading from it.

He didn't beat around the subject anymore. "Auruo reported to me after you finished training today." His eyes flashed from the paper onto her. He didn't look pleased, though he didn't exactly look angry either, but Elyse could tell what was coming.

"He said you weren't bad but had some problems with the harness swing." Levi's jaw tightened as he set down the document. His attention was on her. "You know how important that is beyond everything else? If you cant master this one task then what purpose do you have for us?"

"I'm trying my best…"

His words were cutting into her. "You need to give more than your best. Do you truly know what we train here for?"

Elyse felt a sharp sting from her fingers. Looking down, she realized she had started picking her fingers. Biting her lip, she rubbed her hurt finger, and made eye contact with Levi again. "You…you kill Titans."

"Yes, but we don't just kill Titans for the hell of it. We are fighting for humanity. We kill the Titans for a better tomorrow. It's a kill or be killed kind of world, and majority of soldiers you've already met will die in the next expedition." Levi noticed Elyse's frown and defeated positioning. She had begun picking her fingers out of nervousness or defeat, he couldn't tell which. He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "So instead of giving me your best, I need you give me something else."

Before Elyse couldn't response, there was a knock at the door. Pausing their initial conversation, Elyse and Levi turned their attention to the door. Creaking open, a man peaked his head in. He was an older man with parted blonde hair and a matching mustache. He had droopy eyes but they were hard at the moment.

"Levi?"

"Yes Mike?" Levi leaned back in his chair, his arms hanging over the edge of his seat. He didn't like being interrupted but would tolerate it from one of the other captains.

Once getting permission from Levi, Mike completely stepped into the office. "Erwin just sent a message and wants to have a meeting when he gets back– " Mike paused and looked down at Elyse. His kind eyes intensified as they looked over her. "Is this the recruit that Erwin was talking about?"

Elyse smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit on the spot as Mike continued to stare her. "Um, hello…" Mike continued with his behavior and lowered himself to her level. Stiffening at the sudden closeness, Elyse did the only natural thing, and took a step backwards. Mike only grew closer to her. "What are you doing?"

Levi sighed from behind his desk. "Mike…"

Leaning in as close as he could, Mike stared at her for a couple more before sniffing her scent. Elyse's eyes went wide in confusion. "Did you just…?" Unable to really understand what this grown man was doing, she couldn't form words. She almost squealed in panic when he gently touched her blonde hair and pulled it towards his nose. Having enough of this strange encounter, Elyse moved away from him.

Mike's attention immediately went back towards Levi, leaving Elyse in total confusion and shock. "Rendezvous at the usual conference room?" Levi nodded in agreement and left.

Elyse immediately looked back at Levi. "That was the weirdest thing I have ever experienced. Did he…did he just smell me?"

There was crack in his abrasive attitude as Levi smirked smugly at her. "Yes. He smells everyone he meets. He has a strange, yet acute sense of smell. Hopefully you didn't smell too horrible for him." Levi finally took up his warm cup of tea, still eyeing at her. "Though, he did leave here in a hurry."

Feeling self-conscious, Elyse touched the handful of hair that Mike had sniffed. "I just washed my hair before I came here…" She trailed off, hoping that Mike didn't think she smelt bad.

Levi's teasing smirk had faded as he eyed the paperwork on his desk. "Anyway, back to work. I want you to file these for me."

After about an hour of busy work with filing and organizing documents, Levi let her go for the day. Though the day was over, something about it bothered her, especially when she went into Levi's office. It wasn't the fact that she had to file and organize certain documents, but it was the fact that Levi didn't decide to continue their previous conversation before Mike interrupted them. Elyse wanted to bring it up but didn't have the courage to. He wasn't happy with her and more than her, he doubted her ability as a soldier. Though there was his doubt, something else about the conversation was itching at her.

Elyse had escaped to her room to get away from it all. Sitting on top of her bed, she stared up at the wooden ceiling. She thought about everything, Brian, her parents, Petra, Auruo, training, the other soldiers, and even the Corporal. Her thoughts were tying together, all interconnected, but she still didn't have answer to the question that kept buzzing in her mind.

After a long time of contemplation, Elyse turned onto her side. She felt the firm mattress and the soft blanket sit comfortably beneath her. She wasn't one for many demented thoughts, but as she lied here in her bed, she wondered about how many soldiers claimed this bed before dying. The thought almost sent shivers up her spine.

She couldn't think anymore about it. As she was lying on her side, her eyes slowly descended, and eventually closed. Exhaustion was like a heavy wave and it hit her hard. There was still so much she didn't understand and more she needed to do. But more than anything, Elyse fell asleep feeling a small determination to impress the Lance Corporal Levi, to show him his was wrong. Just as the dark blanket of smile overtook her, she thought about Levi's impossible smile. Strangely, she felt the urge to impress him so much that it would make him smile, even if it was just once…

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A/N: Whew...that's a lot of writing. So I did some research and couldn't find out exactly where the Survey Corps was located before relocating to the castle. If anyone knows the real location, please tell me so I can correct it. Any grammar or anything that doesn't make sense, please tell me as well! I read over the chapters to catch my mistakes but if there is any that I missed, please let me know ASAP!

Also, I think I'm going to stop this story right where the first season ends. I have a lot more to put in with this story but don't want this to be a story that takes me years to finish. I have more ideas I'd like to try and don't like to multitask because there is that chance I'll get off task. I'm determined to finish this story!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I forgot to mention that Elyse was kinda inspired by Elsa from Frozen. Not so much the same person, but definitely the looks with the symbolic braid. Elyse has a normal braid but just based off the concept of Elsa. Their names being similar are just a coincidence. I listened to Let It Go like twenty times while writing the first chapter LOL.

Also, I plan on introducing Hange Zoe into this chapter. I understand that the author hasn't disclosed Hange's gender but as I was writing this story, it was very difficult in keeping it neutral and felt like I keep repeating words…so I'm just going to consider Hange a female. Until it's known whether or not Hange is a female or male, I'm just going to keep as I write it. Hopefully you guys won't judge me for it… -_-; (However, if sometime in the future Hange's gender if finally revealed, I will definitely change it respectively).

Shoutouts: Tanjatailor (Thank you so much for your kind words), dinosaursgorawrr (I'm so glad you like the story so far! I do have a lot to put in with this story, so I hope you like! :3 ), Rakat (Thank you for your follow/fav and the review. Yes, my goal is to make Elyse realistic and relatable for readers out there. I do hope you enjoy what I have in store for this story), Harry Abott for the favorite, and LVCatullus for the follow. All of you made me want to write and speed up the process! :3

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Chapter 3

Elyse awoke from her nap in a sudden panic. She had a horrible dream. She was in a large set of woods and completely lost. From behind the trees, Titans crept out, and started to swarm towards her. She was cornered by several Titans, each of their eyes wide in excitement. One reached for her, grabbed her, and pulled Elyse close to his face. The smell from his gapping mouth was so revolting that it made her want to throw up. Elyse tried to push herself out of the grip of the Titan, but it seemed like it only gripped her tighter. Elyse wanted to cry, unable to move, and knew she was surely going to die in the most painful way. Just as she was about to be tossed into the Titan's mouth, she screamed in panic, and started clawing at the palm of the Titan.

"_Let me go!" _The Titan only gripped her tighter. The giant humanoid monster was crushing her rips. She choked and coughed, feeling her mouth fill with blood. Titan stared at her, opening his mouth wide for her. Elyse couldn't look, unable to stare at the Titan anymore. She felt hot tears fall down her face, unable to hold back her fear any longer.

Just as the Titan was about to put her in his mouth, it did the unthinkable. Instead of placing her broken body within its gaping mouth, the Titan shook her violently. After the initial shock, she stared in surprise at the Titan. It waited a couple more moments before shaking her again. The Titan, in a demented deep voice spoke to her. "_**Wake up.**_" Elyse had to focus on the Titan, unsure what was happening. Her vision was beginning to blur.

There was another shake, though this time it wasn't the Titan who shook her. There was a sudden vibration; something was touching her somewhere far away. _**"**__Wake up you brat." _

Her dream was surprisingly still, as if it was frozen in time. Suddenly, as if something triggered within her mind, her vision of the forest and the Titan began to fade into a bland whirl of colors. Feeling as if she was falling into a different time and space, Elyse's eyes fluttered opened, and sat up quickly. Afraid that the Titan was still holding her, she reached out, and felt something softer than the tough skin she was looking for. Still half-dazed, Elyse gripped the fabric, questioning her whereabouts, and where the Titan had gone.

"So you're finally awake now?" The voice rang through the silent air, causing Elyse to pry her eyes open to see what was going on. She immediately snapped back into reality as she realized what she was actually grabbing. It was Lance Corporal Levi, looking down at her with a sharp expression. She was gripping his white shirt. "Do you always scream when you sleep?" Elyse released her grip from the fabric and fixed the sudden ruffle that appeared where she grabbed him.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you." Elyse stammered, continuing to fix his shirt.

"Clearly." Levi moved away from her to straighten his own shirt. He mumbled underneath his breath, expressing his annoyance with her in his own personal way. Elyse frowned, becoming more aware of what was happening. She had a dream and probably alerted the entire Corps of her nightmare. She felt extremely embarrassment that she couldn't even control her own dreams, especially that the legendary Captain had to save her from her despair. Though, sitting in her room with a grip on reality, she was unsure why the Captain was here of all people. She dared to ask him.

"Captain Levi?"

"What?" He didn't look her way as he was still adjusting himself.

Elyse worried that she had over stepped her boundaries as a Cadet, though she was just trying to undone the mess she made. "Forgive me if this comes off as rude but…why are you here?" He didn't look like the caring type and to be here seemed a little strange.

Levi shot her a chilly, cold glare. "If it's any of your business, people were getting concerned. As your captain, it's necessary for me to handle such situations. If you like, I can send a random soldier in here next time you have a nightmare. Though, they might react just a bit differently if you touch them." He finished with such spite, clearly offended that she would even question him.

Elyse shook her head in disagreement, perhaps she misjudged him. "No its okay." The thought of some random face coming in here was bothersome to think about. She'd take Levi and his callousness than a random person any day. At least he was direct and got down to the point. She didn't feel like she had to worry about where his intentions lied.

"That's what I thought." He spat curtly and turned to walk away. "By the way, you're late for dinner."

Before he could walk out the door, Elyse stopped him. "Levi?" Having his attention, even though he wasn't looking at her, made her heart skip into a rather erratic beats. She felt her face fill with an awkward heat as she thought about his gesture. He came to wake her from that awful dream even though someone else could have easily done it. Though he stated that it was his duty as captain, it was sincere never less. "Thank you for, um, waking me up." She felt herself shift uncomfortably and grabbed her arm unconsciously.

Levi looked behind his shoulder, acknowledging her before turning away. He opened her door, "That's Captain, by the way."

Elyse felt her heart pound harder, realizing her informal mistake. "Right, I'm sorry, sir."

As he walked out, Elyse let out a heavy sigh. Night had descended upon the land and she couldn't believe she slept for that long. Though she was well rested, her haunting dream had drained her again, and the soreness from the entire day was creeping up on her slowly. Knowing what an exhausting day she had, all hunger had escaped from her. Her stomach felt empty but her dream about the Titan made her appetite almost queasy. Still, she had to maintain appearances, especially when the Lance Corporal came in to tell her she was late. Feeling slightly dismayed, she fixed herself up quickly before leaving her room, and descended into the dining hall.

It was noisier than ever as chatter and laughter filled the air. Though it was busy, Elyse immediately found her way to the squad's table. It seemed like it was always reserved for them since they constantly sat in the same area. Besides for Levi's lingering stare, Auruo was the first one to spot Elyse. It seemed like he already had a couple of beverages, his face warm and eyes relaxed. "Hey, you Cadet, you've finally made it!" Elyse couldn't help but to smile at Auruo's change in attitude. Petra, who was sitting next to him, seemed almost annoyed by it.

"Sorry, Elyse. I tried to save you a spot but he was so insistent on taking it." Petra shot a glare towards Auruo, who only smirked playfully.

Gunther looked from Petra to Elyse. "Since Auruo took your spot, you can sit in his usual spot." Gunther patted the empty seat next to him.

Petra almost pouted, "Well, I guess we can talk over the noise from being across from each other." Elyse gave her a reassuring smile before sitting next to Gunther.

Auruo shot Gunther a look, "Why did you offer her that seat?" Next to Auruo was another spare seat. "There's another one right next to me."

Elyse smiled slyly, "No, its okay. I'm fine right here." She noticed how animated he was being, though it could probably be blamed on the contents in his drink. Knowing how he was during their training sessions, it threw her for a shock.

"Are you guys seriously getting worked up over assigned seating?" Levi stated with a huff, taking a drink from his tea. "What are you, children?"

Petra and Erd chuckled slightly at the comment. An inside joke was silently flying around, making Elyse curious to what the squad had on Levi. Petra spoke up. "Well, Captain, if I'm not mistaken that you were a little irritated when Gunther sat in your seat before."

Gunther eyes lit up, seeming to remember that day. "Oh yeah, you were so thrown off that you just stood around before finally finding a different seat." Gunther turned towards Elyse and whispered quietly, "Levi is a creature of serious habit."

Erd finally spoke up, a jovial look spreading across his features. "It's true. We started assign seating so you wouldn't get flustered again."

One of Levi's eyebrows twitched slightly, trying to suppress his annoyance with his friends. "Are you all calling me a child?" At his failed display of hiding his emotions, his squad all laughed in merriment.

"Oh, Levi, we are just teasing." Petra snickered playfully.

Though he didn't see the amusement in their teasing, Elyse did notice how he relaxed his shoulders slightly, how his clenching jaw loosened. They were all such good friends that they could tease and poke fun at each other without anyone getting really offended. That wasn't what confused her though. They were all trained Titan killers and had plenty of experience on the field. Elyse could only imagine how much death and carnage they've all witnessed. Regardless of it all, they all still could laugh and smile at each other. Not one of them seemed to carry that fear of the expeditions or Titans for the matter. Elyse came to the conclusion that either they all had some sort of secret on how they decompressed or they all were crazy.

As dinner continued, the group talked among themselves. Auruo continued to try to talk to Petra, who only seemed like he was aggravating her more than anything. Erd and Gunther talked to each other, mentioning about old expeditions, and other things. Elyse felt a little awkward among them, having nothing to bring into the conversation. She disliked the feeling of being the new soldier around.

Elyse stared at her soup, seeing the sliced chunks of meat float aimlessly around the bowl. She hated being so wasteful, but she just wasn't hungry. Her nightmare continued to plague her mind and the thought of eating any sort of meat felt almost unnatural. She stirred her food, trying to find the will to at least take bite. Looking away for a moment, she caught the glance of Levi. He almost looked disappointed in her wastefulness, though he seemed like he was silently observing her. She dropped her spoon, cracking under the intense pressure of being under his gaze. As she dropped the spoon, the beefy liquid flicked from the bowl. She sighed, feeling slightly frustrated at the type of impression she was making. Before she could question her stupidity, a voice boomed throughout the entire hall.

"I'm back!" Looking to where all the commotion was coming from, Elyse notice a woman with brown hair pulled into a ponytail, glasses clinging to her face. From her quirky stance and smile, it seemed like the sudden noise came from the woman. Levi sighed heavily at the sight of her, crossing his arm in some attempt to make him either appear intimidating or invisible. Neither really worked since the woman strolled right over to the short captain and nudged his arm.

"Hey, Levi!" Her chocolate eyes fell onto the other members of Squad Levi. "Hey you guys!" Each of them greeted her, calling her by the name of Hange. They returned the welcoming smiles, almost making up for Levi's lack of welcome. Hange eventually looked onto Elyse and she wasn't quite ready for the spunkiness that was emitting off this individual. Hange practically leaned across the table and grabbed her hand.

"Oh my, you must be Elyse! Commander Erwin told me all about you!" She winked at her, obviously knowing her big secret. Levi sighed even louder.

"Hange."

Still holding Elyse's hand, Hange looked over at Levi, who was eyeing dangerously at her. "Yes Levi?" Catching the hint, she winked at him and cupped the corners of her mouth to hide what she was saying. Though, she wasn't exactly a quiet whisperer. Not to mention Petra and Auruo could see her lips moving. "Don't worry, I know, I know."

Elyse face palmed. "Miss Hange…"

Hange looked back at Elyse, "Oh please, just call me Hange. No need to be formal with me!" She exclaimed, smiling widely.

"That's lovely," Levi started, suddenly appearing behind Hange. He grabbed her shoulder, refusing to let her be bent over the table any more. "But could you kindly get off the table?" His politeness was laced with malice and irritation. Hange only continued to smile and obliged his suggestion. She didn't seem to mind Levi's coarse attitude. It was almost as if she was immune to it.

As she came upright, she patted his head. "Of course, of course." Elyse couldn't help but to suppress a chuckle. Levi was clearly shorter than Hange and though he was outwardly uncouth, his intimidation tactics just didn't work on the woman. He almost had an irritated pout on his face, crossing his arms once he noticed Elyse's hand over her mouth. Having enough of the ridiculousness, Levi dismissed himself as Hange found a spare seat next to Elyse.

"I think you made him mad." Elyse giggled, no longer able to suppress her laughter at Hange's behavior towards the fierce Lance Corporal.

Hange waved her hand in the direction which Levi went. "Nah, don't worry about him. He's always like that." Her attention turned back onto Elyse, having her full attention. Through her glasses, chocolate brown eyes stared intently at Elyse, full of such light. "I've been updated on your situation and Erwin suggested I prep you on Titans!" She exclaimed excitedly.

At the mentioning of Titans, the tone in the hall seemed to quiet down. Though, the moment everyone realized who was talking, they all continued with their conversations. Elyse looked back at Hange, curious at her fascination. "I need to be prepped?"

"Of course! I'm an expert on Titans and its come to my attention that you're expected to be a soldier with no experience what-so-ever!" Hange grabbed Elyse's hand again, gripping it tightly. "In order for you to succeed, you'll need to know everything about them!" She tread lightly over her words, hoping to skip over the underlining theme. Elyse didn't need Hange to sugarcoat it for her. She already knew that she could die the moment she stepped out passed the gates.

Elyse nodded slowly, "Okay, I'm listening."

Hange beamed at her, "Really? You're interested?!"

"Uh oh," Gunther had overheard their conversation. "Hange, I'm sure Elyse is willing to take this seriously, but please don't talk about Titans over dinner."

Erd swirled around his soup, catching Hange's gaze. "Yes please, I rather finish this without throwing it up."

Hange sighed, disappointed at the soldiers' lack of enthusiasm for her work. "Okay…maybe some other time then?"

Elyse nodded, smiling politely at the woman. "Of course." Elyse squeezed Hange's hand, trying to cheer the woman up. It seemed to work as Hange returned the smile, but dismissed herself. She mentioned something about having a meeting to attend to before leaving the dinner hall as well.

Elyse stared at her soup in front of her. She still hadn't eaten very much of it. She knew it wasn't Hange's fault, but at the even mentioning of Titans made her stomach spin. "I'm not going to be wasteful…" She mumbled to herself and forced another soupy bite. It didn't taste horrible but when she bit down into a chunk of meat, she had to think about other things so she wouldn't gag.

Having enough of bantering with Auruo and his drunken stupor, Petra made her way over to the chair next to Elyse. "I can't stand it when he's like that." She stated with a huff, her mood suddenly sulky as she sat down. "It's like he does that on purpose." Petra ran a hand through her hair and dismissed her time with Auruo with a loud huff. "So, how's everything?"

"Oh it's going okay." Elyse replied, pushing her soup away from her.

Petra eyed the blue eyed blonde, "You don't look too good."

"No, no, I'm okay. Just can't stomach the idea of facing Titans just yet." Elyse stated with a forced laugh. She probably sounded so stupid to someone like Petra, who killed plenty of Titans and still had the courage to smile.

"That's right; you haven't seen them before…" Petra trailed off, withdrawing into her memories. From the intense look on her face, it seemed like Petra was thinking back to her previous encounters. "To be honest, it's really not something you can really ever stomach."

"Then how do you do it?"

Petra almost seemed surprised. "What do you mean?"

Elyse rubbed her hands, jittery with anxiety. "Well…" She looked at Petra. With a soft sigh, Elyse continued, "You always smile, though I know you've seen them. I'll be honest, I'm terrified Petra…" Elyse shut her eyes, accidentally recalling her dream. "I'm terrified that my best isn't good enough and that I'll let everyone down. What if…what if I die the moment I step out there? I've wasted everyone's time and effort. Especially the Captains…"

Petra took Elyse's hand, cupping it warmly. "We have a time before our next expedition and though you're new, you can do this. You can survive. Besides, I know the Captain won't put you in any danger if he can help it."

Elyse smiled timidly at her. Even she knew that Petra couldn't predict how things would go; it was nice to know that she had a friend who she could lean against. Petra didn't seem to mind that she was a newbie or if Levi "picked" her. Elyse wanted to tell her about the real reason why she was here but she decided against it. Petra didn't put her to higher standards than everyone else; she was actually concerned for her safety. Though, Elyse was concerned that she might judge her if she knew the real reason behind her stay.

"Captain Levi told me something today." Elyse started, swallowing hard. "After he heard about my difficulty with the harness, he said that my best wasn't good enough and that he needed something more from me. We got interrupted before he could finish so I don't really know what he meant by it. I was too embarrassed to bring it up again." Elyse nearly laughed, feeling it was stupid of her to be so timid around Levi, especially since he did have some sort of sincerity about him. He was blunt and wasn't the type of guy who wouldn't do something if he really didn't want to. He had a strange way of showing friendliness, though Elyse felt like it was there somewhere behind his abrasive attitude.

Petra thought about it for a moment. "Hmm…well Levi is an intense kind of guy…" She pondered on it a bit more before replying. "Maybe he meant that you should try and think about everything in a different perspective?" She didn't quite seem to be so sure, but it was a start. "He's always kind of been like that. He's blunt about a lot of things, but there are a lot of things he doesn't make so obvious. Though, he's really not that complicated." She finished with a laugh.

Elyse laughed softly, though it was soon covered up by her insecurities. "I hope I can figure it out soon…"

Petra patted her friend on the back. "I'm sure you will. Tomorrow is always new day." Though she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness lingering in her eyes.

As dinner slowed down, Elyse attempted to try to sleep again. Staring at the ceiling from her bed, Elyse thought intensely about the harness swing. Tomorrow was a new day, but she needed to start taking things more seriously. Levi's words echoed within her mind.

"_We fight for humanity."_

She groaned, unable to figure it out. "What does that even mean? It's obvious, so why would he need to say it?" She lifted herself upright, bitter at her lack of exhaustion. She needed to get sleep, especially if she was to be on her A-game tomorrow. The moonlight drifted into her room through the window, exposing a glint of white and green in the corner of the room. Elyse turned her attention to the cape that was still folded on one of the chairs. The emblem was exposed, glistening brightly with the moonlight. Getting up from her seat position, Elyse walked over to the cape. Holding the fabric in her hands, she fingered the symbol.

"The Wings of Freedom, huh?" She questioned, admiring how the symbol was in fact two wings intertwined into one, black and white twisting together. Closing her eyes, she held the cape close to her heart. Many soldiers died for this symbol, in hope to better the way for humanity. Though there had been many sacrifices, not many changes had been made. Even before the Titans attacked and claimed Wall Maria, the Survey Corps could never expand further. Elyse couldn't help but to feel fear creeping its way up into her lungs. She was just another soldier covered in green now. If she didn't learn quickly, she could be another fatality statistic.

Elyse tried to envision her death and the aftermath that would follow. She thought of Levi, going to her parents to give the dreaded news, and how they would cry tears of extreme sorrow. She even thought of Brian, who would never know that she would never come back. He would be there, waiting for her to return with no word about her. Elyse gripped the green cape tighter, having another terrible vision that if the Survey Corps failed, and the Titans would burst through the remaining gates. Tears of fright threatened to come out of her eyes as she could picture the Titans grabbing Brian and devouring him in one merciless gulp.

Elyse covered her face with her cloak, sobbing terribly into the fabric. "No…" She moaned, unable to stand that horrible thought. If she could help it, she wouldn't let anything like that happen to Brian. She cared way too much for his happiness to let such madness occur. The Military Police sent her here to die and she would do it gladly if that meant one less Titan could be a threat to Brian. After a couple more choking sobs, Elyse calmed down, and knew what to do. She had to get serious and having heated determination, she put the green cloak around her. With the wings on her back, Elyse made her way down to the training center.

* * *

The torches around the facility were lit, lighting up the large area. To her relief, there was no one there. She didn't want to embarrass herself if she couldn't do it right away. Storming over to the harness swing with such determination, Elyse attached herself in. She breathed in, trying to quiet her mind. She counted to three and let go.

To her dismay, she instantly swung over, and hit the ground in a loud _thunk._ She growled, gripping the grass below her. "Come on…" She panted, knowing there had to be a better way to this. Unhooking herself so she could start over, Elyse crawled out of the harness, and stood upright. She eyed the mechanics of the swing and sighed loudly in frustration. It was simple. One was to balance within the harness, to be upright without faltering and falling. "If it's so simple then why can I not do it?"

"It's because you're putting too much weight into it." A familiar deep voice rang out behind her. Turning around, Elyse almost shrieked in surprised that there stood Levi. He was wearing his usual uniform but this time all geared up with his 3DMG. He wore his usual deadpanned expression though it was traced with light observation.

Elyse spoke up softly, surprised to see him here, especially at this time of night. "T-too much weight?" She questioned, unsure what he meant.

With a huff, Levi nodded, and approached the harness. "Yes. Though, I'm a bit surprised that this is so difficult for you. That day in Sina you were so light on your feet that none of the Police could catch you. Though, I guess that doesn't say much since they are a bunch of morons."

Elyse glared at him. There he went again, mocking her abilities. "Well, thanks." She replied sarcastically. "But in my defense this is much different. I'm used to being on my feet, not off the ground. And I'll agree, the Military Police are dumb, but they aren't unskilled. Everyone knows that the top trainees get access to the force."

Levi's eyes narrowed at her, "That may be true but they don't hone their skills after that. You practically faced off against a bunch of retired soldiers. No pride can be taken from that." Elyse just shrugged, clearly defeated. She didn't know how to counter him. With a smug look, Levi grabbed the harness. "Now no more excuses and get in."

"What?"

"You heard me." Levi stated coldly, pushing the swing into her chest. "Get in."

Listening to him, Elyse strapped herself in. She had done this plenty of times with Auruo and not once did she feel the amount of nervousness that she was feeling now. She gripped the hard rope of the harness tightly. She was in the presence of Levi, her captain and not to mention the strongest soldier that humanity had. She hoped that she felt nervous because of his title and not because she found him to be slightly attractive. She gulped it down, unsure why she thought of it now. Perhaps it was the way his fell and looked so soft, or that he had such a subtle confidence about him. Not to mention, though his expression was always void of any emotion besides for annoyance, he wasn't bad to look at. Elyse could have kicked herself, thinking about such things right now, especially when he was here in front of her. Though, it slightly explained her sudden clumsiness around him.

Levi's hand held the rope just below her hand, holding it in place firmly. "Now do as I say. First thing, you need to relax." Though it was just a step, Elyse knew that it was an order. She buried her feelings for now, not wanting to make it so obvious to him. It would be awkward, having her crush on her Captain. With a deep breath, she inhaled, and tried to relax herself.

She listened for the next command."Second, you need experience what being weightless feels like. Close your eyes."

Elyse shot him a confused look. Her heart started to pound erratically again."What?"

Levi's jaw tensed as his eyes hardened slightly. "Stop saying what and just do it."

Reluctantly closing her eyes, Elyse felt like the world changed. Without being able to anticipate when he was going to let her go, Elyse felt suddenly very uneasy. Without the anticipation, she could just as easily feel like she was going to fall on her ass. To distract herself, she retraced his commands. Her breathing slowed down, inhaling and exhaling until her body eased up. Her tense muscle finally rested, feeling tired and weightless.

Levi's voice came back to her, alerting her senses. "Now open your eyes."

Instantly opening them, Levi stood back a couple of feet. With his arms crossed, it was clear that he was no longer holding her. "I'm…" Elyse couldn't finish it, her heart was pounding in her chest. She was actually doing it. Looking down, her feet were barely away from the ground but never less she was still balancing her. "I'm doing it!" She exclaimed in excitement, letting go of her tight grip of the rope. The moment her excitement was rushing threw her, there was a sudden feeling of imbalance. As if slipping on ice, Elyse felt her harness tilt and felt her body move instantly towards the ground. She slammed hard into the ground, catching herself on her elbows again.

"Well at least you're not completely hopeless." Levi started, "It's clear now. Your emotions affect how you perform." He squatted down her level, eyeing her carefully. "How did you really feel the day you assaulted that soldier?"

Recalling the memory as if it happened yesterday, Elyse gripped the grass tightly. She wanted to rip it from the ground, remembering how that soldier treated Brian and the way he looked at her. She felt her stomach swirl in disgust though she wasn't sure how honest Levi wanted her to be. "I…I was mad."

"You were mad at him in particular?"

"Yes."

"Then how did you dodge against the entire force? If I remember correctly, they chased you all around town."

Elyse remembered her epiphany that she had. She was tired the system and how people were being treated. She couldn't handle the pressure of the double identity anymore and felt like something burst inside of her. She stared at Levi, looking into his deep blue eyes. Her feelings were too private to share with him and would expose her in the most vulnerable way. She wasn't some tough girl who was a calculated thief. She wanted to escape the chains that were binding her and in a panicky way, she retaliated at all the unfairness she witnessed.

"It's…" Elyse finally looked away from him, feeling as if he would judge her again. "Something just snapped. I got mad and realized immediately the consequences. You were right about me. I was a street punk who finally realized that it's all I was. I guess in a way I saw it as a challenge. To see how far I could really go." There was more to it but she couldn't say it. Levi didn't say anything as he unhooked her from the harness. Elyse gratefully crawled out and sat on the grass. The cool air blew through, caressing her skin as it removed the sweat that was starting to stain her neck.

"Consider your role here a new challenge. Embrace that same motivation you felt that day and you will excel in training." Levi stated coolly, getting to his feet. He started to check his gear, making sure it was properly working before turning his attention to the woods.

"Are you actually giving me a compliment?" Elyse said, looking at her Captain with skepticism.

"You still have much to learn."

"But I guess I show some promise?" She gave him a light, almost tired smile. Her blue eyes did show some confidence, flickering brightly with the torch lights. She did balance herself on the harness for more than 30 seconds before she blew it with over analyzing the situation.

Levi's dark eyes lingered on her face for a moment before walking off towards the woods. "As I said, you're not completely hopeless but still very much an amateur." Elyse had to agree with him to a degree. This was a new world to her. She was used to stealing bread and running around town. Training here was much different than her career as a part-time thief. She realized that she had everything she needed, she just needed to put everything together.

She finally noticed where Levi was headed and was curious to why he was in gear. Getting up from her seated position, she quickly caught to him. "So, Captain. You off to war or something?" With his lack of amusement, Elyse sighed and pointed at his gear. "You are all geared up and it's really late. What are you doing?"

He looked at her as if it was obvious though he looked back at the training woods. "I train at night when the moon is out."

"In the woods?" She questioned. She remembered Auruo telling her that the grounds were opened hourly but the woods was closed at night. "Isn't it not very safe?"

"Tch." Levi replied casually, drawing his blades. "I use the moon as a source of light. Besides, I think training in the dark isn't as dangerous as facing off against a Titan."

Her blue eyes were questioning. He was the Captain, a renowned soldier within the walls. She didn't doubt his abilities but there were rules. She wondered why he wasn't listening to the rules that Auruo clearly wanted to enforce. Truthfully, she didn't care much for rules either and was curious to why Levi didn't want to follow them. "Aren't there rules against it?"

Levi's steel eyes were quickly on her again. "It depends on your perception. To me, rules are only suggestions." He stated as he rapidly released his 3DMG and disappeared into the woods.

It was quiet for a moment when Elyse heard the sharp slashing of metal. Even though she couldn't see him, with the moonlight reflecting off of his blades, she could see his movements and how swift they were. If Elyse ever doubted his title, she couldn't let his appearance fool her. He was fast and zoomed through the night air like a bat. He may be shorter than most guys, but he was vicious with those blades. She almost idolized his abilities, curious to how he got so skilled. Seeing the sharp moonlight reflect off of metal once more, Elyse wanted to be as skilled as Levi.

* * *

Elyse had decided that she witnessed enough and let him train in peace. Not only believing that he came out here to be alone, Elyse was exhausted and knew that the moment she fell onto her bed, sleep would welcome her. As she lied her head down, she hoped she wouldn't remember her dreams tonight.

However, she wasn't so lucky. The moment she fell into REM sleep, her mind raced and whirled around. Again Elyse found herself within the same forest, the sunset barely peaking through the dense set of trees. With two blades in her hands, she found herself standing on top of a one of the highest trees. Looking downward, titans were roaming and chasing after other soldiers who were using their 3DMG's to navigate.

Elyse felt a sense of duty wave over her. She didn't know why she was standing up so high and away from all the trouble below her. With two swords, she realized that she could fight, and help humanity's cause. Feeling this sense of empowerment, she strangely couldn't find the power to move. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to assist her fellow soldiers in the battle. Almost wanting to cry at her cowardice, Elyse struggled, and tried to move her feet to no avail.

A shade of deep green flickered past the light of the setting sun, a cape with the _Wings of Freedom_ emblem fluttering behind the back of one of the soldiers. As the person zoomed closer, Elyse realized that it was Levi, who was looking at her with that same expression on his face. He landed on the same tree branch as her, eyeing her with those steel eyes. She wanted to tell him that she couldn't move but knew that it was a lie. It was fear that was holding her back.

Levi stared at her for a moment before doing the unthinkable. Instead of leaving her there like she believed he would normally do, he offered his hand out to her. Elyse hesitated, unsure if she could trust him. Though she took her time, Levi's expression didn't change, nor did his decision to offer his help. With his hand still extended, Elyse finally found the strength to speak.

"_I'm afraid." _

Levi's dark eyes continued to linger on her before replying back to her, his voice like the wind. "_Trust us." _Just then, other soldiers landed on the remaining places on the tree branch. Elyse identified that it was Levi's squad, Petra, Auruo, Gunther, and Erd. They all smiled at her, giving her a sense of encouragement and genuineness. With them all backing her, Elyse finally felt the courage to take Levi's hand.

"_Okay."_

Elyse woke slowly that morning. She could tell by the sudden stiffness of her legs that she was definitely sore from yesterdays training. She hadn't felt this sore in a long time and it would have felt good considering the situation. She couldn't afford to be slow or sore from such workouts. Though, she was sure that the stiffness did have a lot to do with constantly falling from the harness.

Elyse yawned and stretched, feeling her back muscle expand from the slow release of tension. Relaxing once more, Elyse reflected on last night's dream. It was way better than being eaten by a Titan but it was a strange dream. She remembered the look on Levi's face. Though it was the same monotone expression, there was definitely a hint of an empathetic sense to it.

Unable to analyze it further, Elyse sat up, and started to get changed. As she started to freshen up for the day, she noticed her spare clothes from the other day. She fingered the pink fabric of her button up shirt, instantly reminding her of home. She realized that an explanation was in order. She probably shocked and surprised her parents, especially when they were called to the attend her trial as witnesses. They had no idea about her life or what she had become these past couple of years. Not to mention she needed to tell Brian that she was alright. Knowing how things were, Brian wouldn't ask her parents about the news. Though, she was sure that it traveled around town about her new whereabouts.

Setting the clothing down for another day, Elyse found paper lying around in one of the desks. However, she couldn't find any ink or pens anyway. She sighed deeply, knowing that she would have to ask Levi to share his utensils.

"I guess I could ask someone else…" Elyse mumbled to herself, wanting to avoid in asking Levi such questions. It was funny how her dream represented a completely different type of guy that Levi was. In real life, he was hard to approach, even when he did help her with training and such. Still, Elyse was new and didn't want to be known as an annoyance to anyone. Elyse postponed the letter to her parents and Brian until she could borrow some ink from someone.

Finally freshened up completely, Elyse went down to breakfast for a quick slice of bread before heading out to the training grounds. From where the sun was sitting, she knew that she had used up most of the time this morning sleeping. Eating the bread on her way outside, she was greeted by the warm morning sun.

Auruo was sitting on one of the table benches, looking tired. Elyse approached him. "Good morning." He grumbled crabbily at her, clearly hung over from the night before. She felt slightly disappointed that she wouldn't have the same Auruo from last night. Alcohol always changed people. Either it made the shy outgoing, irritated into misunderstood people, and the angry into the angrier. The same could be said about Auruo as well.

Though, she was in a good mood this morning and decided not to get in his way. She gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Well, if you're not feeling well I won't bother you so much today." She stated, patting his shoulder. He didn't say so, but he seemed thankful in her sudden independence. As she made her way over to the swing, she called out to him. "I've been practicing. Do you mind if we conquer this thing first?"

"By all means." Auruo said, lifting himself up from the bench. "You need help strapping in?"

Elyse shook her head. "No, that's okay."

Auruo eyed her seriously. "You seem different today." Before she got herself inside the harness, she shot him a questioning look. "Well, more confident anyway. How much practice did you do after training?"

Finally strapping herself in, Elyse spoke up. "Just a little." She admitted and decided to share one very important detail of her confidence this morning. She remembered how it felt to finally balance in the harness even though she hadn't mastered it completely just yet. "Captain Levi gave me some pointers."

Auruo grumbled. Though he seemed to adapt Levi's style and mannerism, he almost seemed jealous. "None of my pointers helped?"

Elyse smiled at him one last time before shutting her eyes, recalling Levi's steps from last night. "You didn't give me any pointers, Auruo." She had to admit it. Auruo had tried to cheer her up but not once did he explain how to do it. He laughed at her every time she fell, making her feel like one big joke. Though, today was a new day and she was determined to show that she would be useful to them. Holding onto the rope for support, Elyse tried to calm her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she let go, and let the harness support her unaccompanied. At first, she thought she was going to tilt backwards and fall so she opened her eyes quickly to fix her balance. Spreading her legs out in the harness to balance out her weight, Elyse felt the harness tilt evenly. Her heart started to beat rapidly in her chest. She was doing it and not failing either.

She continued to sit there for a couple more seconds before she calmly looked at Auruo. "You know, I think I got the hang of it."

Through his dehydrated hangover, Auruo actually looked impressed. "Damn kid. From yesterday I thought you were going to take a little longer to train but it seems like you're not bad."

Elyse unhooked herself from the harness, almost tripping over herself just to get out of it, but once she was free she beamed at Auruo. "Not bad, huh?" It was the first real compliment she took a hold of. "Alright!" She exclaimed happily. "What's next?"

Auruo crossed his arms. "Don't get too cocky. The harness is essential but there is still the 3DMG to master, combat training, formation, and horseback riding. As a city girl, I bet you've never even rode a horse before." He spat.

Elyse sighed, her victory short lived. When he put her list of training in retrospect, the harness just seemed like a small goal in the grand scheme of things. "Well, on the way here I did."

Auruo slapped her back, "Riding on a horse with your gear is a bit different that riding for pleasure. Let's go get you accustomed to a horse." Following him to the stables, Elyse felt her heart flutter in excitement. She loved horses. Even after the first night that she came here, she enjoyed riding on one. It was her first time ever being in control of such a creature and though she had a rough day, she couldn't really enjoy the ride. She was going to be assigned a horse and be responsible for it.

As they approached the stables, Auruo called out to one of the soldiers lingering by it. "Hey, Henry."

Henry was an older male with blonde hair. He instantly smiled at Auruo. "What's up?"

"This greenhorn needs a horse." Auruo ushered to Elyse and Henry's eyes followed, "We have one for her, don't we?"

Henry turned back to the stables, eyeing the place. "Well, I'm sure we do." He stated, eyeing the steeds properly.

"Give her that one on the end!" Auruo yelled out, having a sly smirk appear on his face.

The man pulled out a brunette horse from one of the pens. It looked no different than the other horses but showed its personality immediately. He yanked his head away from Henry, resisting advancing forward but proceeded never less. "This beauty is named Vex. He's a bit stubborn and not very sociable. What do you think?"

"Perfect for the rookie." Auruo snickered before covering his mouth quickly. He groaned, biting his tongue from his comment.

Elyse looked at horse wearily. Vex would be a difficult horse to train with if he didn't want to cooperate. Elyse approached Vex slowly, hoping not to alarm the horse. "Is he…nice?"

Henry eyed the horse and rubbed the back of his head with his spare hand. "For the most part. All these horses are breed to be runners but one has to consider their personalities. Let him get used to you first before considering training with him. He's a bit finicky but overall a good horse." Henry handed Vex's harness to Elyse. "Good luck."

Elyse stared at the giant horse and hoped Vex understood that she was willing to cooperate with him. She grew closer, hoping to gain his trust through a small display of affection. However, Vex was unpleased and neighed irritably. He trotted in place, yanking his head away from her. She sighed and lowered her hand. "It's okay. We'll go slow."

Still covering his mouth, Auruo snorted at Elyse. "Challenging, isn't it? That horse has always been a troublemaker."

"And you're giving him to me?" Elyse snapped. She understood that she was still new but that didn't mean they should pick on her forever. The horse is essential like everything else. If the horse wasn't complacent, then who knows how he'd react around Titans. "Has he been on the field before?"

Henry chimed in. "A couple of times. He gets aggravated easily but when has a sense of calm on the battlefield. He was wounded on his last mission but has made a complete recovery."

Elyse looked back at Vex, who was breathing heavily. He seemed more nervous than aggravated. "Auruo, may I request the rest of today's training to get used to Vex?"

Auruo looked shocked. "You're going to train with him? Thought you would too scared to try something like that right now."

Clearly in on the joke, Henry laughed. "We can get you another horse. He might be a little…advanced for you anyway."

"Excuse me?"

Auruo and Henry exchanged glances before speaking up again. "Everyone knows you're just a Cadet who has no training. You're practically a newbie, regardless if the Captain chose you for whatever reason. We were just teasing you about the horse. He'll be too much for you." Elyse shook her head. They might have found this funny but she was tired of being underestimated. She knew she would have to prove herself here and she was determined to do so. Elyse had nothing to really lose here anyway.

No longer feeling afraid of Vex, she reached out and touched his strong neck. "No, I want this one. I don't mind if he's finicky. Maybe he'll teach me something." She spat at Auruo, who looked slightly ticked but she didn't care. Her being here might have been a joke to them but when the next expedition would come along, she would be there. Among the ranks as a soldier, she hoped to gain their respect. Perhaps she would be able to find that complacency that she was looking for since she definitely never found it behind the walls.

"Hope you fall on your ass!" Auruo exclaimed, clearly mad about being called out by her. He grumbled and turned to Henry, "Let's go get some lunch."

Elyse ignored them and focused her attention on Vex, who was getting antsy by the minute. Elyse stoked his neck, hoping to calm him down. "They say you have an attitude." She cooed and led him to the open pen. "That's okay. I think I know how you feel." Unlocking the gate, Elyse led Vex into the free space. It was large and gated. It would be the perfect spot for any horse to stretch their legs without having to worry about running off. Undoing his harness, she let him go, and went to the other side of the gate.

Immediately from being free of the harness and having all the space to himself, Vex's personality changed. He trotted in place before taking off into sprints around the gate. Elyse pulled herself up on the gated fence, watching him closely. He seemed much happier being out of the stable and running on his own. After a couple of minutes, Vex eased up completely.

Elyse gave him a soft smile. "You hate being stuck up inside that pen, don't you?" Elyse looked up into the morning sky, seeing birds flying fly and flying free. "I want to be free too."

Vex had made his way back over to Elyse and nudged her with his snout. Elyse petted his neck again. "Perhaps you are a misunderstood horse." She smiled and jumped off the gate to go back to the stables. She came back with a bucket full of horse food. She offered some to him. Vex hesitated, eyeing her carefully before eating out of the bucket. When he was finished, Elyse put the bucket of food back down, and climbed on the gated fence again. It would be a long training session with him, but she was determined to bond with Vex in hopes that he would trust her completely. The sooner Vex trusted her, the sooner she could rub her "Cadet" abilities in Auruo's face.

"What are you doing?"

Elyse turned her head and wasn't very surprised to find him here. It was Levi, standing behind her with his arms crossed. Sneaking up on her seemed like it was becoming a hobby of his. He looked a little tired, but more annoyed at her than anything. She smiled at his snide expression. "Auruo send you?"

"He said you were being bratty." Levi spat, taking notice of the horse. "He said you were being rather rude. Also that you rather undermine authority and stick with an aggressive horse."

Elyse's smile faltered a bit as she looked at Vex, who seemed a bit more relaxed than before. "For one, Auruo and that Henry were being jerks. I'm entitled to stick up for myself, aren't I?" Elyse jumped down from the fence, facing the Captain. "And second, Vex is a misunderstood horse. He's not aggressive, just aggravated from being cooped up in a stable all day. He really likes to run."

Levi approached the fence and leaned against it. "He also said you made a comment about not learning anything."

Elyse sighed, joining him with leaning against the fence. "He just made me mad. I understand the whole 'I'm your superior' nonsense but he's not being that at all. He'll be encouraging and then degrade me. If I remember correctly, superiors aren't supposed to do that?"

"This isn't boot camp."

"I know…"

Elyse glanced at Levi, who seemed so calm and relaxed. She remembered his display of his skills last night and even though she couldn't see him initially, he was known be rather invincible. Though, people weren't born that way. She was curious how this man become so renowned and skilled with the 3DMG. "How did you end up here?" From the perplexed look on his face, she decided to change the question. "Did you always want to become a soldier?"

Levi stared at her. It was a question he wasn't expecting but he didn't exactly understand where her relaxed nature was coming from. She was somehow different than yesterday and it irked him how quickly she changed. "No, I didn't want to be a soldier." He stated gruffly, a little more rudely than he wanted. "No one wants to be here. We are here because we have to be."

"To protect humanity?" Elyse said softly, looking slightly disappointed in his answer. She remembered the dream she had with Levi and his squad. There was no way the two could ever be parallel. Levi didn't trust her and surely wouldn't ever having any empathy for her. She figured Petra would be the only one who would express such compassion to her. "I understand. Sorry I asked."

Levi huffed. He couldn't say he was thrilled with his choice of words but it didn't matter. His personal life didn't need to be exposed. His squad never questioned and he liked it that way. He wasn't exactly proud where he came from but if he did confine in Elyse, he didn't want her getting the wrong idea. So he refused the idea completely, regardless of how much Erwin saw a parallel between the two of them. "Instead of sitting around here, why don't you make use of your training time and get accustomed to that horse?"

"Well I don't want to push him too far." Elyse started, tucking a blonde strain behind her ear. Levi continued to stare at her, unaware that he staring at her hair. "I want him to get used to me. I want him to trust me." She dared to steal a glance. "Just like I want you and everyone else to trust me."

"That's funny. You're still a newbie. Trust comes with time and respect is something you have to earn." Levi stated, "Though, that's two things you don't have time for."

"You're right. Gotta be daring and cunning like you, huh?" She nudged him gently, joking with him. Levi's lips parted, about to saying something when she climbed down, and raced off to get her horse. She approached Vex slowly, though he backed off as well. Levi couldn't help but to remember an old friend. She was so good with animals and such a free spirit. From how Elyse was approaching the horse, Levi knew that she was doing it all wrong. He huffed and grabbed the half filled basket of horse food.

"Oi, you're doing it wrong. It's just as you said," Levi started, approaching them. "You have to gain trust. Food should work." He handed her the basket. Elyse smiled gratefully and exposed the food to Vex. Taking his time, he sniffed, and started to inched closer, tail flicking comfortably. "Give him time to like you and he may let you coach him."

After some time had passed, Vex had generally relaxed. Levi grabbed Elyse's hand, coaching her along to touch the horse. She obliged and petted his strong neck once more. She inched her hand towards the harness and handed the food to Levi. Vex watched the food move and started to move towards him. Seeing the way to coach him, Levi starting to move with the food and Vex followed. He followed them all the way back to the stables and even let them put him back in his space. Levi handed Elyse the food once more, "Reward him for listening."

Elyse nodded and gave Vex more time to eat before calling it a day with the horse. She petted him once more, feeling more at ease about the steed. "You think he'll trust me enough to ride him tomorrow?"

Levi turned to leave, determined to get another cup of tea before returning back to work. "That's entirely up to him."

As he walked back into the building he noticed Elyse tailing him. She looked like she was pondering heavily over something though looked conflicted about talking about it. Levi stopped, dead in the hallway. "What?"

Elyse snapped out of her thoughts, almost bumping into him. "Oh, um…" She stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed around him again. Her air of confidence and comfort around him faltered. His deadpanned expression made her hesitate, unsure if she should such things to him.

"If you have something to say, then just say it." Her blue eyes fell upon his cold, steel eyes.

Elyse stiffed at his sudden gruffness, though she expected it was she holding up his precious time again. "I don't mean to annoy you. I just wanted to say thank you again. I really appreciate your help."

Levi eyed her carefully. Though she looked uncomfortable, her eyes were definitely sincere. He turned away from her, heading back into the dining hall. "Sure." He relaxed a bit. Though she was thanking him, it was exactly coming out of the kindness of his heart. He had to help her. If Erwin was insistent on having her become an asset then she would have to learn everything. Perhaps Auruo wasn't the best teacher for her, even though he was good at what he did. She was a natural athlete but as a soldier, she would have to work harder since she didn't choose to be here. She surprised him though. She wasn't as snide as he believed she was going to be. He had endured a lot of time with thugs and street kids growing up. While Elyse did commit those crimes, she wasn't a rough person like he was. She was kind even, especially when said she'd get him his tea.

Levi snapped out of his train of thought while coming into the dining hall. He hadn't realized that she had still been following him. "What?" He wasn't sure he heard her correctly.

"Well, yeah, let me get it for you." Elyse started, smiling at him softly.

Levi narrowed his eyes at her. Perhaps she was a punk after all, always wanting favors for favors. "Why?"

Elyse blinked, thinking that it was obvious. "You've been helping me out so I want to return the favor. Making your tea is the least I can do." Though his expression didn't change, his body language spoke otherwise. He was suspicious about something and she wished that he wasn't. She wanted to just get him tea, seeming that he liked it more than beverage, and that he had been taking a chance on her. She needed the extra help and was thankful that he wasn't just leaving her to fail. He may have thought of her as a crook and that she had to be here, but more than anything she decided to make her stay worthwhile. She wanted to protect Brian and live in a day where the people were living in such fear of Titans. It would be nice to see the outside world. "I'm not going to poison your drink." She stated swiftly as she made her way into the kitchen. She had made his tea before with Petra, knowing how he liked it.

Before Levi could protest, she had already left him. He huffed, feeling as if he had no choice but to trust her. Perhaps he was just being paranoid that people were greedy, especially if they were born and raised behind Wall Sina. He had more than enough experience with assholes who used to look down on him. Dismissing it from his thoughts, Levi sat down in his usual spot and tapped his fingers on the wooden table. He rested his head in his hand, waiting semi-patiently for his drink. Though, he couldn't wait in silence as Hange patted him happily on his shoulder with her free hand. She was holding textbooks and papers in the other.

"Hey there, Levi!"

His tired gaze lifted onto hers, "Hey four eyes."

Ignoring the comment, she sat next to him. Her documented work on Titans and the history of the world was placed onto the table. "I was hoping to find you today." Levi's drumming on the wooden table continued as she sat down. He really wasn't in the mood for her speculations about Titans. He heard enough about them on the day that he met Hange and he had been working with her for years.

"For what?" Levi could only imagine what she had in mind. She wasn't one for just random appearances and casual talk. Hange was very keen and obsessed with the concept of Titans it almost disturbed him sometimes.

Hange's smile only widened when he gave her permission to continue. "Wellllll, I was hoping to get some time with Elyse. Since she's under your subversion and knowing how you are, she's probably on one strict schedule."

Levi deadpanned. "It's not that strict." He was curious to how she jumped to that conclusion. He wasn't that strict about schedules. His eyes snot back to the kitchen, wearily wanting a drink of his tea. It always seemed to relax him and clear his mind. He wondered if he was giving people the wrong impression.

Hange almost bounced with excitement. "So you will permit me time with her?!"

He sighed, itching that Elyse would hurry up. "I can't exactly say no." His fingers ceased on the drumming, thinking about something. Hange was the only one who knew about Elyse's predicament other than Levi and Erwin. Erwin had made it a point in last night's meeting that Elyse be prepped and turned into a capable soldier as soon as possible. For him to dismiss Hange's request would be going against Erwin's. As Elyse emerged from the kitchen, his eyes trailed over her expression. There was that smile again. His glance shot back towards Hange. "Only for one hour."

"Yes! Okay!" She squealed with excitement. Levi could only guess why she was this excited and it couldn't be because of Elyse in general. Hange only got excited about one thing and having the chance to discuss her entire work to someone was always a rush of adrenaline for her. She was so passionate that she could talk for hours about it. He only hoped that Elyse's determination could persist after one lesson with the mad woman. As Elyse set his cup down, the aroma of his tea filling his senses, he took it within his hands. "Hange, we'll discuss the details later." He looked at the blonde, "Don't be late today." He stated cooly before he turned away to escape into his office. He could only take so much of Hange before he felt like his skin was going to itch from the inside out.

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A/N: Okay I'm going to stop it there. Yikes, what a long chapter! Lots of dialogue and interaction with people…Anyway, I hope you guys are still interested. I'm hoping to update a bit faster than this one did but I was hitting a wall with this chapter for some reason. I have things planned out but when it comes to filling in the gaps to get there, it can be mighty difficult.

Also, I've been reading the fanmade Levi comic that has been going around. The mentioning of his old life and his past friends is coming from that so if you're confused, that's where I've got the information. If anybody wants to read the comic and have no idea where to find it, let me know! I'd be happy to send you the link!

Review/favorite/follow/alert for me? :)


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